


God Who Hears

by Bloodstained_Hurricane (J_leeDixon)



Category: Preacher (TV)
Genre: Angst and Fluff and Smut, Blood Drinking, Cuties, Empath abilities, Eventual Smut, F/M, Falling In Love, Jealous Cassidy, Love at First Sight, Oral Sex, Sex, Sweet Cassidy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-29
Updated: 2018-12-21
Packaged: 2019-07-20 07:22:50
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 83,136
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16132430
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/J_leeDixon/pseuds/Bloodstained_Hurricane
Summary: 'This is my very on-it outfit...'Cassidy... Mika found herself giggling when she remembered his banter with Emily that morning. She replayed that moment again, when he had shifted in his chair, displaying his half-naked body a little more. He really did look good. And that mischievous smile of his... mmmmm... She wondered what else those lips could do...Who would have thought, that landing in tiny Annville, Texas would turn out to be one of the bigger adventures of Cassidy's long life? He almost had to thank those vampire hunting vigilante bastards for getting him there. The town preacher Jesse Custer turned into a fast friend and his friend Mika Blake... she simply wasn't real. She couldn't be. Cassidy had experienced a lot during his 119 years of wandering this Earth, but love at first sight, that was a new one, even for him.Cassidy/OFC





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I won't even try to write Cassidy's accent. I'm German, and while my English is pretty good, I do have to watch Cassidy's scenes on the show with subtitles, because I understand about 5 percent of what he's saying without them. So I'm not touching that accent with a ten foot pole.
> 
> Now, let's have some fun, shall we?
> 
> I don't own anything but Mika and Henry.

_Darkness surrounded her. She blinked a couple of times, hoping it would help her see something, but nothing happened. The familiar sliver of panic crept up her spine, making her heartbeat accelerate. She hated complete darkness. It always made her anxious, and that weird eerie folk tune that she now heard playing, wasn't helping her at all to calm herself down._

 

„ _Wynken, Blynken and Nod one night, sailed off in a wooden shoe, sailed on a river of crystal light, into a sea of dew...“ a low, British-sounding voice now sang along to the tune._

 

_She blinked again, trying to make out the shadows that she felt swirling around her. Slowly, one of those shadows stopped right in front of her. It started to come into focus and she was able to make out a dark mass, that looked like a ball of tar. It pulsated, like it had a heartbeat, and it kept morphing into different shapes. Swirls of dark red appeared and mixed with the black mass, which kept getting bigger. She felt like she was looking at something being mixed in a blender, only that there wasn't a damn blender. Only this mass and that creepy voice, that was still singing in the background._

 

“ _... moon asked the three. We've come to fish for the herring fish...”_

 

_'What the fuck are you singing about? Shut up, shut up, shut up,' she thought frantically as she felt that familiar pull start to build. 'No... shit, no. Come on. Wake up... wake up!' her breathing turned fast and shallow, as she prepared for what was about to come._

 

“ _... that lives in this beautiful seaaaaaaaa...”_

 

_With wide eyes and damn near hyperventilating, she stared into the dark mass, which grew bigger in that moment, and with a loud screech-y, wailing noise, shot towards her and pulled her inside its chaotic swirl._

 

_She hated this part... This being shoved into another dreamscape. It always made her nauseous and she always wanted to scream, but she couldn't. She didn't have a voice and she was no longer able to breathe. She was however, able to see again. Images flashed before her eyes in quick succession, as heat engulfed her. Bright sunlight, a big wooden hut, doors bursting open, a faceless black man standing in front of an equally faceless crowd. She heard a disgusting wet popping sound, just before her vision turned crimson and the metallic scent of blood filled her nostrils. The loud screams of the crowd almost burst her eardrums. She wanted to cover her ears, but she couldn't. The panic rose, as the noise overwhelmed her, as well as the struggle to draw air into her lungs. She needed to wake up. Now._

 

_Suddenly, the heat and the sun were gone and she was freezing cold, but she weirdly enough felt a sense of coming home. New images flashed up, similar to the first set. Another faceless man, this time a white guy, another faceless crowd, this time bundled up in warm fur lined coats. Chanting. That language... Russian! Another wet popping sound and her vision was filled with red once more, just before a familiar face came into view. He stood in the doorway, looking at the carnage with a devilish smile on his face, and then just as quick as he had appeared, he was gone, making her wonder if he had even really been there to begin with._

 

_She felt lightheaded, her vision got fuzzy, and even though she usually hated the dark, in this instant she was relieved, when she felt herself being sucked into it and out of the dream._

 

Mika woke with a start, hectically drawing air into her lungs.

 

“Damn, that was close,” she panted as she slowly rubbed circles over her heaving chest with the cold, clammy palm of her hand. She always stopped breathing during these kind of dreams, but she had no idea why.

 

“Babe? What's going on? You okay?” Henry's sleepy voice startled her for a second. She looked over to his side of the bed. In the near dark of their bedroom, she was met with the sight of a gray-ish fog surrounding him. Not a single swirl of purple in there. He was confused, there was no concern there.

 

“Fine. Go back to sleep,” Mika told him, before she reached for one of the pill bottles on her nightstand and quickly popped two painkillers. The pounding in her temples was probably just from holding her breath for too long, but she wouldn't let it turn into a damn migraine. Life was too short to be in more pain than you had to be.

 

Mika got up and walked to her bedroom window on shaky legs. She pushed the curtains to the side and opened the window, deeply inhaling the cool early morning air. The sun was just about to rise, and in the distance, she was able to make out the church.

 

“Are you up to something, brother?” she murmured as she eyed the white building. It had been quiet, where Jesse Custer was concerned. Almost too quiet. Chaos used to follow him wherever he went and now... nothing. “Red skies at morning, sailor take warning,...” Mika mumbled taking in the reddened sky before she started to turn her back on the view, as it was time to start her day, but her gaze lingered on the church for another moment, deciding that she would have to pay a visit to the town preacher sooner rather than later.

* * *

_'Jesus, this woman needs to get laid,'_ Cassidy thought to himself with an internal sigh, as he found himself being chewed out by Emily yet again. _'Or maybe I should spike her coffee with a tranquilizer... one way or another, she needs to get it out of her system.'_

 

He rubbed his tired eyes and looked back up at her, when movement behind her caught his attention. He narrowed his eyes, and suddenly, Emily's ranting turned into incomprehensible background chatter, when the most beautiful woman, or should he say angel, he had ever seen, appeared behind Emily and leaned against the doorjamb with an amused smirk on her face.

 

“Cassidy? Are you even listening to me?” Emily raised her voice a bit, before she looked in the direction Cassidy was looking in. “Oh, hi Mika.”

 

“Hey,” the angel smirked with a nod, before she looked at Cassidy with a smile, making him feel like his heart was skipping a beat.

 

“Cassidy? You are taking the van and handling this, right?”

 

Cassidy snapped out of his little daze and nodded. “Yeah, I'm on it.”

 

“You don't look very on it,” Emily lamented.

 

Cassidy shifted and bared more of his naked torso. “No? This is my very on-it outfit,” he told her with the straightest face he could muster and got a kick out of the way the angel pressed her lips together, in order to stifle a laugh.

 

Emily looked like she was about to go off on him, but she seemed to successfully kill that urge and looked at her watch instead. “Seen Jesse? I was supposed to meet him in an hour.”

 

“But you couldn't wait,” Cassidy stated and sent a smirk to the angel, called Mika, behind Emily, who now had to hide her mouth behind her hand and looked like she had a very hard time to keep from laughing out loud.

 

“The van keys are in the closet. I look forward to having you do something helpful for once.” Emily gave Cassidy an impatient glare, before she left the church without another word.

 

“Wow,...” Mika grinned and shook her head as she took two steps towards him. “Someone's vibrator must've run out of batteries.”

 

Cassidy's eyes widened in delighted surprise and he nodded quickly, as he felt himself confirmed. “I was just thinking that! Well, something like that. She needs a good shag, to get her head back on straight.”

 

“Yeah, but she's waiting on Jesse to step up to that plate, and that's never gonna happen, soooo,...”

 

“I better stay out of her way then,” Cassidy laughed quietly.

 

“Might be a good idea. At least until hell freezes over,” Mika suggested, making Cassidy laugh out loud this time.

 

“Yeah, she's a handful.”

 

“She didn't use to be. She was alright. Now though, she's a widowed single mother of three who's hopelessly lusting after a guy she's never gonna have. I guess that would turn even the best of us into sexually frustrated, unbearable ass-pains,” Mika shrugged with a little laugh. “Oh, and for the record. I loooove your very on-it outfit.”

 

“Do you now? The thready blanket doesn't make me look too fat, then?”

 

“Oh no, on the contrary. It compliments those wonderfully pale, hard plains of your chest quite well. Mmmm, I love a man with chest hair.”

 

“What about a man with a plethora of random tattoos?”

 

“Now that's just the super-sized cherry on top,” Mika grinned.

 

_'Shite, I'm in love,'_ Cassidy thought with a grin of his own. He got up from the chair and held out his hand for her to shake. “Name's Cassidy, by the way.”

 

“Mika,” she shook his hand with a smile. “Nice to meet you, Cassidy.”

 

“Mika...” Cassidy slowly let it roll off his tongue with a happy sigh. “That doesn't sound very southern.”

 

“It's not. It's a name that can't really decide which country it's from. Some say Japan, some say Hungary, some say Russia.”

 

“And in your case?”

 

“Russia,” Mika smiled as she looked around. “You know where Jesse is? He's not in the house.”

 

“I haven't seen him yet, but if he's not in the house and not in here, chances are he is off somewhere doing his preacher thing, you know.”

 

“Right,” Mika sighed and bit her lip as she stared at the pews behind her, deep in thought.

 

Cassidy watched and studied her with a little smile. He wondered if he might still be dreaming after all, because she just couldn't be real. He hadn't had butterflies in his stomach just from shaking someone's hand in freaking ages. “Want to leave a message, luv? I'll make sure he gets it.”

 

“That's alright. Thanks. I'll come back later.”

 

“Uhh, I'll make sure to stick around then,” Cassidy smiled flirtatiously, making Mika shake her head with a laugh.

 

“Charming... I like it. You do that. I'll look forward to running into you again. I'll catch you later, Cassidy.”

 

“You most certainly will. Later, luv,” Cassidy smiled and watched her leave the church. He stood in the open door and gave her a wave, when she turned around to look at him, just before she rounded the corner and was out of sight.

 

He sagged against the doorjamb and let out a loud, long sigh. “Love me, love me, pretend that you love me. Leave me, leave me, just say that you need me...” Cassidy sang quietly to himself, as he went up the stairs to put on some more layers of clothes. He wasn't going to let the sun burn him one bit, now that he'd met the love of this lifespan.

* * *

Mika was still giggling when she got into her car and drove into town to run a couple of errands. So, this was the guy Emily had told her about. The famous Cassidy. What a character. Funny, relaxed, flirty, witty and hot... in an unconventional burnt-out-punk-rock-star kind of way... usually she didn't go for guys this skinny, but she had felt an instant attraction to Cassidy. Despite not really being the usual type of guy she felt attracted to, she found this Irishman to be right up her alley for whatever reason.

 

Well, he had made her laugh. He must have a good sense of humor and that was a big turn on for her, so that must have been part of it. Henry and her were never able to share a laugh. At all. Okay, she might have the sense of humor of a 13 year old boy, and she wasn't proud of it, but it was what it was. Instead of quietly accepting it, Henry always made sure to raise his eyebrow at her and silently tell her, that her laughing about whatever had made her laugh in that instant, was childish and ridiculous.

 

She had lost count of how many times she had been tempted to make him laugh and giggle, until he fell from the chair and pissed his pants, but she knew she would never hear the end of it. She had promised him to never intervene with his emotions, unless he asked her to, and no matter how hard it was at times, she honored that promise.

 

It was a shame, really, because Henry had a truly beautiful smile. It would be nice to see it more often, Mika thought as she turned into the grocery store's parking lot. Unfortunately, sometimes the smallest and simplest wishes never came true.

* * *

She returned home an hour later, with only half the items on her list. “Babe,” she called out, “you gotta stop putting things like chia and quinoa on the list. No matter how often you do it, they don't freaking sell it at the store. Just order it off of Amazon or something. Henry?”

 

Henry was on the phone when she entered the kitchen, but he very quickly ended that call, when he noticed her. Too quickly, for her liking.

 

“Hey,” he greeted her and pecked her on the lips as he grabbed the shopping bag from her. “You were up early today.”

 

“Yes, I went to see Jesse, but I was too late to catch him, apparently. Looks like he is really trying to turn things around. He seems to be working hard these days.”

 

“Working hard at messing things up,” Henry snorted. “I take it you haven't heard about Donnie Schenk yet?”

 

“Donnie? What about the douchebag?”

 

“Mika,...” Henry looked at her sternly.

 

“What? He is a douchebag.”

 

“He is a hard-working family man. Unlike Jesse Custer.”

 

“You going to tell me what happened with Donnie or what?”

 

“Jesse picked a fight with him and told Donnie that he would get him to make some sort of high-pitched bunny sound. Jesse then trashed the bar, beat up Donnie's friends, before he proceeded to break Donnie's arm. The broken bone stuck straight out of the arm... and Donnie... well, he made the sound. All right in front of the sheriff,” Henry reported.

 

“So Jesse's in jail?”

 

“No. Emily bailed him out.”

 

“Hm,” Mika hummed and got herself a cup of coffee from the machine.

 

“Hm? That's it?”

 

“Donnie should know better than to go up against Jesse. Everybody in this town should know better than to do that. If Donnie did it anyway, he's got no one else to blame but himself.”

 

“You are unbelievable,” Henry shook his head as the air around him turned a dirty orange with spots of a bright shade of red in there. Disappointment and rising anger. Oh how used Mika was to seeing his aura look exactly like that. Too bad, that she didn't care. Not anymore.

 

“I know,” she put on a sweet smile, agitating Henry even more.

 

“Jesse Custer just can do no wrong in your eyes, huh?”

 

“You should know the answer to that by now, my dear. Who was that on the phone?”

 

“No one.”

 

“Riiiight,” she huffed, making Henry roll his eyes.

 

“Just the organization... they want me to do some research,” Henry admitted.

 

“Oh, they're pulling you out of early retirement for that? Must be important.”

 

“I'm not retired. I never will be and you know that. Stop winding me up on purpose, Mika.”

 

“I'm not, Henry. But face it, this so-called organization is bullshit. They haven't had anything to do for you in how long?”

 

“They have plenty to do for me. **You** are my job, remember?”

 

“How could I forget. Still, I've lived here for 25 years now and nothing's ever happened. I'm still convinced that there are no vampires in the States. There's definitely none here.”

 

“And why do you think that is?”

 

“Because we practically live in the desert?”

 

“It's the organization, Mika. That's why you've been safe all these years.”

 

“Mhm, so riddle me this, Henry. If they are doing such a great job of keeping me safe, then why are you still here and in their employ?”

 

Silence. Orange turned fully into crimson, as Henry angrily grit his teeth. He had grabbed the back of the chair so hard, that his knuckles were turning white. “There's no way to win with you. You always gotta have the last word,” he told her angrily as he shoved the chair against the table. “I gotta go. I have a meeting.”

 

“Good luck with that,” Mika smiled and lifted her coffee mug in a mock-salute, but as soon as the door slammed shut behind Henry, the smile vanished and she sighed deeply. She was tired of fighting, but somehow she couldn't help herself around him. He just brought it out in her. They brought out the worst in each other. She was just waiting for the day when they would kill each other.

 

Deep down though, she knew it would never come. In his own way, Henry loved her. It was visible in his aura during quiet moments. Or at least, over the years, he had convinced himself that he felt something like love for her. He was just bitter, because he knew she was right.

 

“Vampires in Texas,” Mika scoffed quietly to herself. “Ridiculous...”

 

She pulled her phone out of the back pocket of her black jeans to check the news, while she enjoyed her coffee. What she saw pop up first, made her spit out the hot brew, all over the table. She skimmed the article, before she shot up from her chair and made a beeline for her car.

 

She had to talk to Jesse. **Now.**

* * *

Cassidy's mind was still blown from what Jesse had just shown him, but at the same time, it was running a mile a minute. “I mean, padre,... this doesn't have to be a curse... just imagine the possibilities.”

 

Jesse was trying to imagine those, but his train of thought got cut short, when he heard a familiar voice calling out for him.

 

“Jesse! Where the hell are you?”

 

Jesse looked at Cassidy with a panicked expression on his face. “Shit. It's Mika. I gotta-” he wanted to bolt, but it was too late.

 

“Holy shit,...” Mika breathed. She already stood in the doorway to the living room, blocking Jesse's escape route, and stared at the air surrounding him.

 

“There you are, luv,” Cassidy was grinning from ear to ear. “That was fast. Couldn't wait, either, huh?”

 

Mika didn't respond. She didn't even look at him. In fact, she wasn't even looking at Jesse. She was looking at a spot right above his head. Cassidy frowned, then he blinked and squinted, but he wasn't able to see anything out of the ordinary.

 

“What is it?” he asked. “Am I missing something here?”

 

Mika swallowed hard and now finally looked Jesse in the eyes. “Jesse,... we gotta talk.”

 

Jesse nodded. “Yeah... looks like.” He averted his gaze and cleared his throat. “Um... you met Cassidy?”

 

“Yes. Nice to see you again, Cassidy,” Mika tried her best to give him at least a little smile, but she couldn't stop staring at Jesse's aura. The swirling mass from her dream was clearly visible in there.

 

“You, too, luv.”

 

“Jess... I had a dream this morning. About... that...” she pointed at a spot above his head.

 

“You can see it? What's it look like?” Jess asked with curious eyes.

 

“It doesn't look like it's super nice. It's black. Almost like a pitch black octopus made out of tar and the tentacles are moving wildly and there's real angry looking red swirls in there.”

 

Cassidy's eyes widened and he looked back and forth between Jesse and Mika. “What do you mean you can see it? It? That thing inside of him? How?”

 

Mika and Jesse ignored Cassidy's question. They had too many questions of their own. “What is **it**? Do you know?” Mika asked Jesse, as she kept watching the mass moving.

 

“I was hoping you'd know. If you dreamed about it... What happened in the dream?”

 

“I saw this thing... it was dark, I think it might have been in the church. There was someone singing. A British guy, I think. He sang Wynken, Blynken and Nod. And this thing was in front of my face and sucked me inside. I was somewhere hot and bright, maybe Africa. There was a black dude in some kind of hut and he exploded. And then I'm pretty sure I was in a church in Russia and the priest exploded. You were there and you seemed... happy. You liked the carnage. Which reminds me. Did you make fucking Tom Cruise explode?”

 

“What?” Cassidy and Jesse both asked in confusion.

 

“It's all over the news,” Mika explained. “Tom Cruise is dead. He exploded. And I dreamed about priests exploding, which seemed to have something to do with you and that thing there and now Tom Cruise is dead and he was like, what? The high priest of Scientology or something? Coincidence? I think not. The hell is going on? Since when have you had it? What's it doing to you?”

 

Jesse rubbed his tired face and sighed. “I think I've had it since last night. That's when I noticed it for the first time. Might have happened earlier, but I don't know.”

 

“Show her,” Cassidy grinned.

 

“Show me what?”

 

Jesse spoke, using his new and improved voice. “Tell him my nickname for you. The one you hate.”

 

“Panda,” Mika replied without even thinking about it. Then she looked at Jesse with wide eyes. “Dammit!”

 

“Panda?” Cassidy grinned even wider. “Awwww, that's cute.”

 

“It really isn't,” Mika told him, before she looked back at Jesse. “That's it? That's what it does? You can make people say things?”

 

“And do things,” Jesse added.

 

“So... it makes you kinda like me?” Mika asked, sounding confused.

 

“Not exactly. It's different, I think.”

 

Cassidy piped up. “Right, which reminds me. You can see whatever's in him. Just that it's outside of him? That octopus thing? So, if you can see it, but we both cannot, what exactly does that make you now, luv?”

 

“She's, what we call, an empath,” Jesse told his new companion.

 

“An empath?” Cassidy frowned in confusion.

 

“I can feel and see other people's emotions. Like literally feel them as my own and see them, depicted as colors surrounding them.”

 

“She can also influence other people's emotions,” Jesse explained. “She can fuck with your head if she wants to, send you feelings you don't wanna feel. But if you make her promise not to, you can be pretty sure that she won't.”

 

Cassidy raised his eyebrow and looked at Mika a little warily. “And were you able to see what I was thinking this morning, when we first met?” he asked carefully.

 

“I'm not a mind-reader, I can't read thoughts,” Mika explained. “Your aura looked like a turquoise sea, pretty relaxed.” She kept the rest to herself in front of Jesse. “You were mostly relaxed and amused, so don't worry.”

 

Cassidy nodded slowly, but he looked at her with narrowed eyes. He knew she wasn't telling the whole story.

 

Mika let her gaze travel back to Jesse and sighed. “Well, whatever that is, it's very probably not what it really looks like, but it just shows, what it does to your emotions. And it looks nasty. How do you feel? In my dream, I felt like it was a blender, mixing everything up.”

 

“That's what you said!” Cassidy was almost yelling. “Like you have a blender in your gut with everything that God ever created in it. That's what you said. You felt that in your dream, luv? So you have prophetic dreams, too?”

 

“Sometimes, yeah... But this... this is something else. I mean, you suddenly have a supernatural power inside of you and Tom Cruise explodes? I gotta get on my laptop. I gotta find out if someone exploded in Russia as well. And maybe in Africa. Not that it will help us any, but... I don't know. What are we gonna do? What's going to happen now?” Mika was at a loss.

 

“We'll figure it out,” Jesse mumbled. “I gotta go, I have things to do.”

 

“Now? Jesse... Maybe you should,... gosh, I honestly don't know what you should do, but your emotions are all over the place. Try not to kill anyone, okay? Maybe just lay low?”

 

“That's not an option. Don't worry about me, Mika. It's going to be alright.” And with that, Jesse left.

 

“He is way too calm,” Mika shook her head. “His aura is going crazy and yet I can feel him being calm... it's really unnerving and not... right.”

 

“I'll keep an eye on him for you, luv. I promise. If I think he is starting to go off the rails, I'll call you,” Cassidy smiled.

 

Mika smirked. “Is that your subtle, sneaky way to get my number?”

 

“Maybe... Look, about earlier this morning...” Cassidy scratched the back of his neck. “I'm pretty sure you saw more than me being relaxed and-”

 

“I did. I did see something else in there, Cassidy, but-”

 

“No, stop, luv... before you say anything. It's true. I didn't think love at first sight existed, but... it hit me like a sledgehammer this morning and I just want you to know-”

 

“Cassidy,” Mika continued the trend of them interrupting each other. “What I've learned over the past couple of years is, that there is such a thing as talking things to death. While communication is definitely important, sometimes, talking can take the mystery and the excitement out of certain things, so please, just enjoy and let's not talk about it. Okay?”

 

“Okay,” Cassidy agreed with a breathless smile.

 

“Good,” Mika smiled and looked at her phone. “I gotta go, too. I got work.” She put her phone away and let her gaze wander over Cassidy's tall, lanky form, taking in his new outfit. “Wow,... looks like you can make just about anything work,” she winked and briefly touched his hand, which sent the butterflies in Cassidy's belly all aflutter. “I'll see you around, Cassidy.”

 

“Until we meet again,... panda.”

 

“Don't,” she laughed, leaving a happily snickering Cassidy behind as she left.

 

As the door shut behind her, he grabbed himself a beer from the fridge before he made his way up to his little lair in the attic, once again quietly singing to himself. “Love me, love me, my little panda,... leave me, leave me, just say that you need me... pretty panda...

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

“Okay guys, let's go find our happy place, shall we?” Mika smiled at the people who took part in her current session.

 

Twice a week she held a relaxation session during her clients' lunch hour. For them it was the ideal way to spend their break, because they were able to let go of all the stress from their daily lives and return to work all refreshed and relaxed.

 

“Good, everybody ready? Then close your eyes. Take a deep breath in... hold it... and slowly let it out... Great... And again, take a deep breath in, hold it and slowly let it out. Take this time to let yourself fully arrive in this moment. Feel your body, feel in which part of your body you're experiencing tension and breathe into that body part. Let it expand and stretch and then slowly relax.”

 

Mika tried to do that for herself, but her head was way too full with everything that had happened that morning. She should have canceled the session, she realized. This was hard, taxing work for her on a good day. Today it would probably take everything out of her. Every little ounce of energy she had. It was too late to cancel now, though. Now she had to power through.

 

“Now, let go of everything that's burdened you today and in the past couple of days. Let it exit your mind as you open it up and let it travel along your favorite path. Take your first steps down your path. Take a deep breath, enjoy the air and your surroundings, and as you go, your worries stay behind and become smaller and smaller.”

 

Mika spent several more minutes leading her clients into a deeper relaxation, until it was time for her to open up her own mind and let it reach out to those of her clients. It took longer than usual, because she wasn't quite able to relax herself that day, but eventually she managed to send out waves of joy and serenity to the group of 10.

 

15 minutes later, she felt the pounding in her temples return and was glad, that it was time for the group to return to reality. Carefully she guided them out of their relaxed state until, another 15 minutes later, everybody opened their eyes with big smiles on their faces. To them it was like a mini-vacation, while Mika felt like she was ready to lay down and sleep for at least 16 hours. But hey, it paid well. To those people, she was an excellent therapist and a brilliant meditation expert, which made them gladly pay a little extra. Of course nobody knew about her abilities. They thought she was simply that good at her job, that her words alone helped them this much.

 

“Thanks. Great session, everyone. Have a great weekend and I'll see you next week,” she finished up and as soon as everyone was gone, she went to her small office and opened her laptop. While it booted, she grabbed a coffee, to help her not fall asleep standing up.

 

As soon as her laptop was ready to go, she started searching for other incidents of people exploding. After a couple of minutes she was wide awake again. Her trusty search engine hadn't let her down. There had been two more cases in the past couple of days, just like in her dream. One in a village in Liberia and one in a small town near Moscow.

 

She read the reports. She learned, that the victims both had been preachers, and that the witnesses in both countries had stated that an invisible force, which had been like a strong gust of wind, had made the doors fly open and had slammed into the holy men. Shortly afterwards, they had exploded. They called it freak accidents for now, but were looking for a main cause, that connected the three cases. They were thinking that it might have been something exotic the three men had ingested.

 

“Right,” Mika scoffed quietly. “And that explains the doors bursting open? Bad case of flatulence?”

 

She leaned back in her chair and sighed deeply in annoyance. This wasn't getting her anywhere. She now had confirmation that her dream had come true, but now what? What was she supposed to do with that? What was Jesse supposed to do with his new power? Go around churches and sing Wynken, Blynken and Nod in a British accent? Probably not.

 

“Okay, Jesse is right. We'll figure it out,” Mika told herself as she crossed her arms behind her head and tried to relax. “We'll just have to wait. Time will tell us what to do...”

 

She closed her eyes and took deep breaths in and out, trying to shift her thoughts elsewhere.

 

_'This is my very on-it outfit...'_

 

Cassidy... Mika found herself giggling when she remembered his banter with Emily that morning. She replayed that moment again, when he had shifted in his chair, displaying his half-naked body a little more. He really did look good. And that mischievous smile of his... mmmmm... She wondered what else those lips could do.

 

She had made fun of poor Emily Woodrow that morning, but the truth was, she was quite frustrated herself. She was changing. She had noticed it only recently. Her attitude towards certain things was changing.

 

Well, she had recently turned 35 years old. Seemed like a good time to finally become more like a “normal” human being, she reckoned. Problem was, she was not exactly getting happier. Quite the opposite actually.

 

She had always accepted her life for what it was. Life was different for her, than it was for other people. Always had been and she had been fine with it. She had long ago accepted Henry's role in her life and that he would be in it for a very long time. She could have had it worse. Henry was only two years older than her, easy on the eyes, charming, nice, hard-working... the perfect fake husband.

 

Live the lie until the lie becomes your life. They had perfected that art. The lie had become their life alright. To the outside world, they were high school sweethearts that had made their relationship work... had made it thrive and blossom into the perfect marriage.

Henry had moved to Annville when Mika had been 13 years old. Just when her father had passed away. They had been attached at the hip ever since. People had thought that Mika had sought solace in the older boys arms, but little did they know, that Mika didn't have much of a say in the matter.

 

And neither did Henry. He had only been 15 years old himself. Just a child with a big task to handle. He had stepped up to the challenge, no questions asked. He had been made to sacrifice his chance at a normal life, and for what?

 

After Preacher Custer had been killed and Jesse had vanished into thin air that same night, Tulip and Henry had been the only people she'd had left. After that night, Mika had made peace with her situation and had stopped fighting having Henry around. He had pulled her out of the house just in time. He had protected her. If he hadn't, maybe those guys would have shot her, too. She had started to trust him and they had started to make it work. They had started to truly live the lie.

 

 _22 years..._ Mika's eyes flew open in surprise when that number popped up inside her head. For the first time she really let that realization hit her, along with a flurry of various emotions like sorrow, regret, fondness and pride.

 

They'd been living that lie for 22 years. More than half of their young lives.

 

“Jesus Christ...,” Mika muttered with a shake of her head. Suddenly, she felt a big wave of guilt flush her system. “Oh Henry,...” she sighed, feeling sorry for antagonizing him constantly right now. He hadn't chosen this life, just like she hadn't. Making things harder for the both of them wasn't going to work. She had to be better than that, but in order to do that, she had to work through her own issues first. The ones that had recently developed. The ones that suddenly made her resent Henry and made her crave having a “real” partner, after 35 years of being completely fine with being a loner with an inability to love.

 

Working through that might take a while, she thought. Until then, she decided to do her best to be nicer to Henry.

* * *

Just like she had anticipated, Mika was an exhausted wreck by the time evening rolled around. She didn't trust herself to drive home without causing a massive accident, so she decided to walk.

 

It was dark already and the streets were fairly empty, which she was glad for. In the dark, the auras seemed brighter than during the day, and that would not agree with the headache she was having once again. The cool night air, however, felt nice and she tried her best to enjoy it and let it soothe her frazzled nerves.

 

The little bit of relaxation she got from the fresh air, didn't last long. She jumped, when out of nowhere, a van came to a screeching halt next to her. Mika whirled around, and despite feeling pretty shitty, a big smile appeared on her face when she recognized a grinning Cassidy behind the wheel.

 

“Has no one ever told you, that it's not safe for pretty girls to wander around alone outside in the dark?” he asked her.

 

“Oh trust me, plenty of people have told me that over the years, but I know how to take care of myself,” Mika smiled and leaned against the open window on the passenger side.

 

“Do you now? With your abilities?”

 

“That's right,” Mika nodded. “I can send an assload of fear and panic to my opponent, make them shit their pants and run off crying without lifting a finger.

 

“Jesus, remind me never to get on your bad side, luv.”

 

“Don't worry about it. I won't fuck with your head, as Jesse so eloquently put it, unless I feel like you might harm me and mine.”

 

“You won't have to worry about that. Jesse's me best mate... Can I offer you a ride, pretty panda? Where are you headed?”

 

“To the field behind the church, to bury you, if you keep calling me panda,” Mika threatened jokingly, as she got into the van.

 

“Aw, now why would you kill me for that? It's adorable. I like pandas. But I do wonder, why Jesse calls you that,” Cassidy said, as he started driving.

 

Mika laughed. “Because of something, I am pretty sure, he made up.”

 

“And what's that?”

 

“Years ago, he told me that he had read somewhere, that the name Mika means smart panda.”

 

“Aww,” Cassidy grinned.

 

“But to this day, he hasn't been able to show me exactly where he had supposedly read that. He must have made it up.”

 

“Or it was the Japanese. They love pandas. You said the name also hails from Japan, right?” Cassidy looked over at her questioningly. He had a hard time focusing on driving, because he found it difficult to tear his gaze away from her.

 

“Right, I guess that's possible,” Mika admitted.

 

“What's the Russian meaning, then?”

 

“Child of God. My middle name is Kristina, which means anointed. And my last name meant God who hears, so I guess that I'm the anointed child of God, who hears,” she explained.

 

“That does fit you, doesn't it?” Cassidy smiled. “What with your abilities and all. Okay, you see and feel people's feelings, but it can be interpreted like that, right? Like you hear them?”

 

“Maybe,” Mika laughed quietly. “I do like your name, better, though, I gotta say.”

 

“My name?” Cassidy was surprised.

 

“Yes. I like the name Cassidy. I really do. And it suits you.”

 

“It's my last name actually.”

 

“Really? What's your first name?”

 

“Proinsias.”

 

“Gesundheit,” Mika dead-panned, making the man next to her laugh out loud.

 

“Right. Yeah. It does sound like a bad sneeze. That's why I go by my last name.”

 

“Good choice. Aaaaand we're at the church...” she snickered when she realized where he had stopped.

 

Cassidy looked at the white building, before he gave Mika a sheepish smile. “Sorry, luv. Just drove here on instinct, I'm afraid. Never asked you for directions, now did I? I would make the worst taxi driver in history.”

 

“I'm sure you're very skilled in other departments,” she winked, before she got out of the van. “It's alright. I'll ask Jesse to take me home. That gives me an opportunity to talk to him again about those people from my dream. Turns out, two priests in Liberia and Russia really did explode as well.”

 

“But you didn't dream about Tom Cruise? That's weird. Since he's the famous one and all...”

 

“My survival instinct must have kicked in. I stop breathing during prophetic dreams. No idea why, but it happens every time, so I must have woken up just before I would have suffered any damage and we didn't get to Tom Cruise. I don't know.”

 

They walked up the stairs to the door, but before they went inside, Cassidy gently took hold of her arm and turned her around to face him. He took a step closer and looked directly into her eyes, and Mika... had no idea what was happening to her.

 

Cassidy had bowed his head a little as he held her gaze with his incredibly beautiful hazel eyes. They seemed to express so much in that moment, yet Mika was unable to read in them. She faintly felt his breath on her cheek and that on top of his touch, the way he looked at her and his close proximity, it had her head spinning. Not only that, but it also seemed to cause an unfamiliar fluttery feeling in her belly, that made her breath hitch in her throat.

 

She felt excited, but also, completely unprepared for what this man was doing to her.

 

Quickly, she closed her eyes for a second, breaking the intense moment, before she opened them again and made them focus on more familiar territory.

 

Purple mixed into his aura, showing Mika, that he was concerned, even before he muttered his next words.

 

“You stop breathing? I gotta say, luv, I don't like the sound of that.”

 

Mika nodded with a breathless little smile. “I know.”

 

“How often does that happen?”

 

“Not very often. It only happened four or five times my entire life, so I think I should be safe for another seven years or so.”

 

“What if it happens again? Sooner than that? How're you gonna stay safe?”

 

“I don't know,” Mika breathed. Another shockwave went through her, when Cassidy shuffled even closer. He gently and slowly started rubbing her upper arms up and down, as he caught her gaze with his once more.

 

“But you do know, that I don't want you to go home yet, don't you?” he asked quietly. “Stay for a bit, luv. We got the attic to ourselves. I can watch over you while you sleep. You'll be safe, I can promise you that.”

 

Mika was surprised by how much she wanted to take him up on his offer and by how much she apparently already trusted this man. He was practically still a stranger, but she wouldn't mind sleeping under his roof, leaving herself vulnerable, while he watched her... Maybe she was starting to go mental, but by God, he didn't feel like a stranger and auras didn't lie. As far as she could tell, he was genuine, so her trust wasn't exactly misplaced.

 

Both of them jumped nearly out of their skin, when the door next to them flew open all of a sudden. Cassidy even let out a not very manly scream as he stumbled two steps back. “Jesus, padre. We need to put a freaking bell on you or something.”

 

Jesse froze in his tracks and looked back and forth between them with narrowed eyes. “Mika... Cass? What's going on?”

 

“I found this one wandering through town on her own. Gave her a ride here just now.”

 

“What happened to your car, Mika?” Jesse asked the woman, who still looked like she was working on gathering her bearings.

 

“Oh, um... I was too tired to drive, after the day I had... and I wanted to talk to you. The men from my dream really died. The witnesses said that it was like a strong gust of wind entered the churches, doors busting open and everything. Was it the same for you?”

 

Jesse took a moment to think about it, but eventually, he nodded. “Yeah, now that I remember it, but that happened last week.”

 

“When you were passed out for three days straight?” Mika asked. “That would explain things. You didn't have a fever or anything. And thankfully you didn't explode like the others. Your body obviously reacted by sleeping it off for a couple of days.”

 

“Looks like this power was looking for a host of some sort,” Cassidy said. “And the others weren't able to handle it?”

 

“Maybe,” Jesse shrugged slightly.

 

“Question is, why did it need a new host and what does it need you for? What does it want? And that question is going to drive me crazy, I just know it,” Mika sighed.

 

Jesse smiled and put his hands on Mika's shoulders. “Relax. Until we know, I will put it to good use. I will build this church and this community back up. Be a good preacher, like my father wanted me to be.”

 

“You're still way too calm.”

 

“You always told me to calm down and now that I am, you don't like it, either?” Jesse smirked, before he put his arm around her and led her to his car. “Come on, I'll give you a ride home. I'm headed in that direction anyway.”

 

Cassidy opened his mouth to protest, but Mika quickly cut him off. “Thanks, Cassidy. I'll see you soon.”

 

“I hope so, lassie. I hope so.”

 

“What was going on back there?” Jesse asked, when they were out of Cassidy's earshot.

 

“I honestly have no idea, Jesse.”

 

Jesse let out a little laugh. “Right.”

* * *

“Why on Earth did Jesse take you home?”

 

Henry said Jesse's name with so much disdain in his voice and his aura, that Mika was more than a little tempted to throw her resolution, to be nicer to him, out the window.

 

“I was too tired to drive.”

 

“And you called him instead of me?”

 

“I didn't call anyone. I'm sorry, can we not do this right now? I'm exhausted and I have a raging headache.” Henry's expression remained hard. Mika sighed. “Henry, please. I'm really not feeling well and I wanted to use what little is left of my energy, to apologize to you for earlier.”

 

Now he looked so surprised, that it was downright comical. She would have laughed if she hadn't felt like her head was splitting in two. “Apologize?”

 

“Yes.” Mika grabbed a bottled water from the fridge and pressed it against her forehead, while she leaned back against the kitchen counter. “I got to thinking today...”

 

“Really?” Henry leaned opposite her, against the edge of the table, and crossed his arms over his chest. “And you finally realized that you haven't been exactly nice to me lately?”

 

“Something like that,” Mika sighed. “Have you ever realized, that it's been 22 years?”

 

“I have.”

 

“And?”

 

"And what?"

 

“And how does that make you feel?”

 

“Come on, Mika... Really?”

 

“I don't mean it like that. Look, I know I've been a handful. And not just in the past couple of weeks.”

 

“You always have been,” Henry said, but he was giving her one of his rare smiles while he said it. “I never minded. You have a lot on your plate. I can't even begin to imagine what life is like for you. To have to fight every day to protect yourself from the onslaught of emotions from everyone around you... to try to block out their auras so you don't get overwhelmed... to live with me... I know it's not easy, so I was always prepared to cut you some slack. But lately... it feels like something's changed. You've become downright hostile... or passive aggressive, I don't know. It just feels different.”

 

“I'm unhappy,” Mika admitted. “Very unhappy.”

 

“Why? Because of me?”

 

“You're part of it.”

 

“What did I do?” Henry asked, genuinely confused.

 

“Nothing. Damn, I didn't want to talk about this yet, because I haven't had enough time to think about everything.”

 

“What is it? I mean, it's been over 20 years, like you said. Everything was fine and now you're unhappy?”

 

“It was never fine, Henry. This whole thing was never fine. We just adapted. This was our normal. I never thought about having a different life. I never thought... I don't know, that I might want something different one day.”

 

“But now you do? You want something different? Different how?” Henry inquired with his brows still knit in confusion.

 

“I don't know, Henry. Something more normal, I guess,” Mika gave an exasperated shrug.

 

Henry nodded and averted his gaze for a moment. “We used to have that. We used to make it work, remember? We had something pretty normal for a while...” He looked back up at her and straightened. “Maybe, we just have to find our way back to that...” he slowly took the three steps that separated them. “It's been a long, long time... Maybe we should give this another try... connect more... check in with each other more,” his voice dropped as he put his hands on her sides and slowly slid them up higher.

 

Like earlier with Cassidy, Mika's breath got caught in her throat. Only this time, it was a whole other kind of shock to her system. She recoiled from Henry and his touch, and it took everything she had, not to plant her ass in the sink in order to put some distance between them.

 

“No, stop. Stop it right now, Henry. You got the wrong idea here. I don't want to have sex with you.”

 

Henry immediately took his hands off of her and took a step back. The poor guy was as confused as ever. “Then what do you want, Mika?”

 

“I don't know what I want. But I do know, that I don't want this anymore. I think it's time for us to end this, Henry.”

 

His expression immediately hardened again. “That's not an option and you know it. All this serves a purpose. We're doing this, to keep you safe and to keep you alive.”

 

“Don't you see that this is bullshit, Henry?” Mika started to lose her temper. She flung the water bottle into the sink as she raised her voice. “It's been over 20 freaking years. Nothing ever happened. Nothing. And all the while, we are both dying a very slow and torturous death, being stuck with each other like this. And for what? You threw two whole decades of your life away in vain. Don't you realize that? But it's not too late for us. We're still young, we can still do something about this.”

 

“You're wrong, Mika.”

 

“I'm not. You're not even working for them anymore. You're fooling yourself into believing that you're still serving a purpose here. You're a fucking personal trainer, Henry, who spends his downtime experimenting with shit like how to incorporate a healthy dose of quinoa into his post-work out shake. What used to be just the perfect front for you to stay in shape and keep your training up is no longer a front, sweetheart, it's become your freaking life. A boring, meaningless, groundhog day-kinda life. Wake up!” She yelled at him, before her shoulders slumped and she sagged back against the counter. “I'm done... I'm so done.”

 

“No, you're not,” Henry told her.

 

Something wasn't right. She looked at him, and instead of being mad, he looked almost smug. It was unsettling and it filled her with a sense of dread.

 

“It's only just beginning. From now on, you'll need me more than you ever have,” he said. “They've been tracking a subject for a while now. They actually had it in custody, so to speak,” Henry explained and seemed to relish in her confusion.

 

“A subject? You mean a vampire?”

 

“Of course I mean a vampire. They had it, but the son of a bitch escaped. You remember that plane that crashed about a week ago, not too far from here?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“It was on there. Killed every member of the organization, including the pilot and the co-pilot.”

 

“The vampire was on the plane? The one that crashed?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Okay, if the plane crashed and everybody's dead... why do you think the vampire escaped?” Mika asked, not knowing whether to laugh or to cry. Henry wasn't lying. Or at least he believed, that what he was saying was true.

 

“They found a cow.”

 

“A cow?” Mika scoffed and actually laughed this time. “Alright. I'm going to bed.”

 

“This isn't a joke, Mika. The subject single-handedly killed seven people. It's dangerous. And do you think it's a coincidence that the plane crashed near here? That thing is around here somewhere. Which means from now on, you're not going to go anywhere without me by your side.”

 

Mika's eyes widened so much, that she felt like they were about to pop out of her skull. “You're kidding me, right? No. No way.”

 

“Yes. Way.”

 

“No. This ends now. I'm no longer going to be a prisoner of some imaginary threat.”

 

“The threat is not imaginary. It never has been. You're the one that should wake up. Especially now.”

 

“Henry, I swear to God, if you don't leave me alone when I tell you to, I will break my promise and make you stay away, karma be damned.”

 

“That would be the worst thing you could ever do. For yourself.”

 

“I don't even care anymore, Henry. That's what you don't understand. If it's coming for me, then it's coming for me. I'm starting to think that being killed by a vampire might be a more merciful death, than the one this whole charade is causing.”

 

“You don't mean that.”

 

“I do... And what the hell are you going to do anyway? The vampire killed seven of your highly trained assassins? You think you're stronger than seven of you guys put together? I might stand a higher chance of protecting myself, if I can influence him or her or whatever. Get it into your thick skull, Henry. I don't need you. So please, if I mean anything to you, anything at all, then please just leave me alone. Walk away and let me get a fresh start... I'm going to bed... in the guest room. Don't bother following me in there,” Mika told him and left him standing there.

 

She schlepped herself up the stairs and went into the guest bedroom, locking the door behind her. She wanted to slap herself for not taking Cassidy up on his invitation earlier, but now she was way too exhausted to even get back up from the bed.

 

Before she fell asleep, she set the alarm for 4 am. She knew it was kind of childish, but she really didn't want to break her promise to Henry and screw with his head, so she wanted to try to sneak out in the morning. She needed to come up with a plan of how to proceed from here on out, and fast.

 

 

 

* * *

Thank you for reading:)

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, in advance.
> 
> I don't own anything but Mika and Henry.

Jesse woke up the next morning feeling extremely accomplished.

 

His new power had helped him save a little girl's innocence. With the help of the word, he'd made Annville's pedophile schoolbus driver forget all about the object of his perverted fantasies.

 

Mika didn't need to keep worrying about him and this power, he thought. It had clearly chosen him to do good. To spread the word of God and really, truly make people listen.

 

Armed with the feeling of a renewed purpose and a smile, Jesse swung himself out of bed, took a shower and got dressed. He was surprised when he found Cassidy sulking over a cup of coffee already.

 

“Good morning,” Jesse greeted him cheerfully, as he got his own cup out of one of the kitchen cabinets. “You're up early... It's a beautiful morning, why so glum, chum?”

 

“Ah, couldn't sleep. Was worried about the love of me life getting brain-damage in her sleep. Tried to find something to take the edge off, struck out... shite night.” Cassidy waved him off with a tired motion of his hand.

 

Jesse frowned and turned around to look at Cassidy, while he poured himself some coffee. “I heard the words, but I'm afraid I didn't understand a single word you just said, Cass.”

 

Cassidy sighed, like the weight of the world was resting on his shoulders. He ran an agitated hand through his already unruly hair and sighed yet again. “It's the pretty panda, padre. I cannot get her out of me head. I've fallen... I've fallen hard,... and then she tells me that she stops breathing in her sleep, when she has those dreams, and then you go on, whisking her away and I don't know where she lives and now I don't know, if she's even still alive and now all I can do is sit here and wait and if it wouldn't be for that shite drippin' out of the air conditioning unit, I'd be out of my mind with worry by now.”

 

Jesse froze in his tracks for a moment as he processed Cassidy's words. “Hold on... are you talking about Mika?”

 

Cassidy got a far away look in his eyes and smiled. “That I am... look, I know she's your friend and all, you might not wanna hear this but... uuffff... she's... one look and I was done. She'd burned herself into me brain. That face, those eyes, that smile...honestly, I'm not even sure that she is real, padre. She is a beautiful angel, that one. If I wouldn't have seen you talking to her, too, I would have thought that I'd imagined her. Seriously. She's perfect. I've seen a lot in my day, but she is out of this world, Jesse.”

 

Jesse scoffed with a little laugh. “Yeah, she's a very special person. Her husband thinks so, too, and before you decide to start going into detail here, that is my sister you're talking about.”

 

Cassidy's head shot up in surprise and he was wide awake in an instant. “Whaaat?” he asked in a high-pitched voice. “Your sister? Nooo, no, no, no... that's not right, is it?”

 

Jesse huffed with a shake of his head. “She is. Maybe not by blood, but she's family.”

 

“But she's not **actually** your sister?”

 

“Like I said, not by blood, but she's **like** a sister to me, okay, Cass?”

 

“Right. Okay, is this the moment you tell me that you'll beat me to a bloody pulp if I touch her, then?”

 

“No,” Jesse said in an upbeat tone of voice, “that's her husband's job. And he'll get it done. You can trust me on that.”

 

“And who is that mysterious husband, I haven't heard a single thing about until now?”

 

“Henry Blake. They've been together since high school,” Jesse replied as he settled down on his chair next to Cassidy.

 

“She's not wearing a ring.”

 

“She doesn't like wearing jewelry. She put it on her key ring.”

 

“And that already tells the whole story, doesn't it?” Cassidy smirked.

 

Jesse rolled his eyes, but then he nodded. “Maybe... yeah.”

 

“This Henry... what kind of guy is he? Because you sure as hell didn't look very fond of him when you said his name just now.”

 

“We're not exactly best friends. Never have been. He's an arrogant, entitled, belligerent little douchebag. Always tried to keep Mika away from me. Still does.”

 

Cassidy frowned. “Why is that? Is he jealous?”

 

“I think so... but not because he thinks we might hook up. It's never been like that with us. It's because no matter what, I'm the one Mika calls first, instead of him. I'm the one she trusts and counts on. Not him. He doesn't like that one bit.”

 

“If he's such an arsehole, why is she with him? She's so sweet... funny...”

 

“That's a question Tulip and I've been asking ourselves for a very long time. That's a mystery still to be solved, I'm afraid.”

 

Cassidy grinned. “Oh, I'm up for playing a little detective. I love me a good mystery.”

 

“Cass. Remember what you promised me. No trouble. That goes for Mika as well.”

 

“Right. No trouble... but I can't make promises about the pretty panda, padre. I think it's meant to be... I've lived long enough to know such things. To know when it feels right. And she feels more than right, Jesse. You of all people should know... if it's not supposed to be... then your dear God wouldn't have put her in my path. Isn't that right?”

 

Jesse didn't want to get into another argument about God's plans with Cassidy. The last one had been interesting enough to last him for another couple of days. He drank his coffee and thought about it for a moment. While he should not condone someone trying to break up someone else's marriage, a little fun might do Mika some good. Henry was a possessive jackass, and that marriage was strained at best. Jesse knew, that Mika was not **in** love with Henry, that was why he still didn't understand, why she stayed with the asshole. Maybe some intervention from Cassidy would finally help her to wake up and break free of that strange hold Henry seemed to have over the usually pretty independent and strong woman. Also, it might distract her from thinking too much about his new superpower. Cassidy pursuing Mika might be a bit of a weird win-win situation, so why not? And he already did like Cassidy better than Henry, he had to admit to himself.

 

“Whatever, Cass. Do what you think you have to. Just know that I will absolutely break every bone in your body with my bare hands if Mika ends up in trouble.”

 

“Understood, padre.”

 

“Good. I gotta go down to the Flavor Station. Lots of work to be done. Get to the air condition, will ya?”

 

“On it,” Cassidy promised, although he already knew that he most definitely wouldn't fix that thing, since he had no idea how those things even worked.

* * *

Mika's plan of sneaking out had, of course, failed miserably. When she had unlocked and opened the door to the guest room, Henry had been leaning against the wall opposite the door. He had proceeded to follow her around all day long. He had actually spent hours in his car outside her office, watching who had entered and exited the building.

 

Mika had come close to using her power on him, but in the end, she hadn't been able to go through with it. At night though, she had very loudly and very clearly told him again, that she no longer wanted him around. It had once again fallen on deaf ears, so she had gone back to the guest room and had locked herself in for another night.

 

The next morning, Henry was back, waiting in the hallway again.

 

“Good morning,” he said in a neutral tone.

 

“Disagree,” Mika grumbled and walked past him.

 

“Still mad I see.”

 

“Yep. And I'm pretty sure that that won't change in the foreseeable future.”

 

“I'm sorry to hear that, but if that's the price I have to pay for your safety, then I'll take it,” Henry was way too cheerful and it pissed her off even more.

 

Once they arrived in the kitchen, she started on fixing coffee. When the machine was all set up, she turned around and looked at him questioningly. “I don't think I've ever asked you this... what do **you** get out of keeping me safe? What's your reward?”

 

“My reward is that I'm honoring my family's legacy.”

 

“Sorry, but that's the lamest reward ever.”

 

“That and the knowledge that one of the oldest vampires around-”

 

“You mean the **only** vampire around... oh no, wait, sorry. There's two vampires now, right. My bad.”

 

“...won't be able to kill you and possibly absorb your power and use it for his own personal gain, which I assume, wouldn't be pretty.”

 

“And you're sure he's in America?”

 

“We're not 100% certain, but our sources are quite sure.”

 

“But after some of his followers killed my father in San Francisco, you've lost track of him. How can your sources be so sure? And why do you think he would still be looking for me. It's been two freaking decades.”

 

“That's nothing to a vampire. He might be laying low, just waiting for his chance to strike. That vampire we've been tracking-”

 

“And then lost track of as well...”

 

“Could be spying on us right now.”

 

“Let them spy. Maybe they like telenovelas and will get a kick out of our separation drama.”

 

“Our what?”

 

“Like I said last night. I'm done, Henry. Neither one of us asked for this. We both got pushed into this situation. It's not fair. We made the best of it and I think we've both stuck this out long enough. I don't know why I've been so stupid. I don't know why I haven't done this years ago, I truly don't... I must have been sleepwalking through life and now I'm waking up. I want more. I want a real life. A real partner. I want... love,.. I guess.” She cringed inwardly. It sounded incredibly cheesy to her own ears.

 

“You're not able to love someone, Mika. You never have been.”

 

“I have never allowed myself to, out of fear to have them ripped away, too. I want to learn. I want to learn to open myself up to something new, and I can't do that if we keep going on like this. I mean, don't you want to fall in love with someone? Start your own family? Just live your life the way you want?”

 

“I do,” Henry admitted quietly, much to Mika's suprise. Usually with him it was deny, deny, deny. “But until the Earl has been dealt with, it's simply not in the cards.”

 

“It is in the cards now, because I'm ending this, Henry. Tell your bosses and I'm telling my friends and clients. This is going to go public, because if you start following me around after I announce our split, I won't hesitate to call Sheriff Root to have you arrested. So think about it.”

 

“You wouldn't dare. Is your death wish really that big?”

 

“You and your cute little organization are absolutely delusional. You can't handle one single unarmed vampire on a plane. **If** the Earl is even still alive, you wouldn't be able to protect me from him anyway. All this was just a waste of time. We were both trapped and I'm done being a prisoner. I'm setting us both free.”

 

“Mika, please. Don't do this.”

 

“Why not? What are you so scared of? Don't even try to deny it, I can see it in your aura, Henry. You're scared out of your mind. Question is why? Because you won't know what to do with yourself if we 'break up'? Because you have no life outside of waiting for the Earl and his minions to find us and attack? Which, face it, will never happen.”

 

“Christ, if that's what you truly think, then just go, Mika. If you wanna die that badly, then go.”

 

“You really believe it,” Mika murmured in disbelief. “You really deluded yourself into thinking that I would die without you. I'm sorry, Henry, but I'm dying **with** you. I'm going upstairs now and I will pack a bag and I'll stay with Jesse until further notice. If you run into trouble with the organization, set something up and let me talk to them. I'll let them know that it's not your fault.”

 

Henry scoffed quietly, but didn't say anything else and let her go upstairs.

 

Mika wasn't fooled by his silent surrender, though. There was no acceptance in his aura. There was the green-grayish hue of apprehension, a dark shade of green for fear, bright red for anger and a very light purple hue for loathing.

 

This wasn't over, that she was sure of, but at least she had won this battle and he let her leave. She felt a deep sense a relief when she stepped outside with her packed duffel bag. She had half-expected Henry to bolt the door or do something else in order to keep her from leaving, but no... for now, she was free.

* * *

Cassidy was up early again. It seemed to become a new pattern for him. Not so much, because he tried to make an effort to actually help out and be productive during the day, but more because so much stuff was happening around him.

 

The night before last he hadn't been able to sleep, because he hadn't been able to get Mika out of his mind. Last night, it had been because of the return of the clone people. Freaking clones. Preachers with superpowers from heaven, beautiful angel-like emotion-readers and now government agency clones, who claimed to also be from heaven. He wondered what the hell would happen next. But hey, at least it wasn't boring around here and also, his assumption, that Mika might be an actual angel, might really not be that far out there. Right now, anything seemed possible.

 

The vampire sighed and looked around, not quite knowing what to do with himself. His eyes fell on a hole in the floorboard, less than an arm's length away from him. Cassidy squinted and reached over, gingerly plucking some kind of pink fabric out of the hole. He held it up to his eyes and inspected it more closely in the dim morning light.

 

“Attic insulation,” he deduced. “Never tried you before...”

 

He brought it to his nose to sniff it, when noises from downstairs made him pause and perk his ears. Was that music? Was it Sunday? No, that was tomorrow. Today was Saturday. Or was it?

 

“Well, let's see what the bloody hell is going on down there now. Fucking noisy for a church around here,” Cassidy grumbled as he got up from the dusty old mattress, he'd been calling his bed for the past week, and slipped into his boots.

 

He shrugged on a robe and quietly made his way downstairs. The music got louder with each step. Metal,... definitely not church music, so Jesse was most certainly not having some kind of service. Suddenly, Cassidy felt a strong pull in his belly, before his brain even registered, what was going on. It took a moment, but then he noticed that a raspy female voice was singing along to the song. It did sound vaguely familiar and if his body's reaction to it was any indication, there was only one person this voice could possibly belong to.

 

A slow smile started to spread his lips. Cassidy arrived at the bottom of the stairs and walked over to the open doors that led to the nave. The sight that greeted him made the smile on his lips grow so big, that it felt like his face was going to split in two.

 

His angel had come to save him from boredom.

* * *

Mika felt herself relax more and more, as she laid on the ground in the aisle of the church. She had her arms crossed behind her head and her eyes closed, and she breathed deeply and evenly as she let the sounds of Disturbed's “Prayer” calm her.

 

This wasn't a first for her. Even though she didn't think of herself as a believer, this church had been a bit of a home base for her for the better part of her life. Laying down on the floor in front of the altar and listening to music enabled her to fully ground herself and clear her head. This was where she was truly able to relax and let go of her own troubles and worries.

 

Emily hated when she did this, always telling her that this wasn't a concert hall, but a place for quiet reflection and worship. “That's exactly what I'm doing. Just without the quiet part,” Mika always responded, making Emily huff and roll her eyes every time, before she went to complain to Jesse. Jesse didn't mind, though. He knew Mika needed this time. He wasn't bothered by it and it wasn't like Mika was doing this in the middle of Sunday service.

 

Even Jesse's late father had let her do this. She'd had to wear headphones, though, but still. None of the preachers had minded, because she wasn't hurting anyone. Except for Emily, apparently.

 

Her favorite part came on and instead of mouthing along quietly, Mika started singing her heart out.

 

Let me enlighten you  
This is the way i pray

Living just isn't hard enough  
Burn me alive, inside  
Living my life's not hard enough  
Take everything away

 

While she sang, she felt a presence coming closer.

 

She wasn't worried, because she wasn't able to sense any negative emotions around her, so she kept her eyes closed and kept singing, while she felt someone sit down next to her. She figured that it was Jesse who'd come to keep her company, so she got a happy surprise, when she heard Cassidy's distinctive Irish lilt as the song stopped playing.

 

“Good morning,” Cassidy's voice was warm.

 

Mika slightly turned her head towards him and cracked one eye open. She was surprised when she found him laying next to her, instead of just sitting. He was on his side facing her, head propped up on his hand, his eyes regarding her fondly with an equally fond smile on his lips. His aura was glowing with joy, appreciation and...

 

 _'No,'_ Mika thought with an internal shake of her head, _'he doesn't love you. It's just an intense crush for sure. It will die down within the next couple of days.'_

 

She focused on something else, namely his once again half-naked body. The robe wasn't closed and once more, his lean torso was on display. Mika felt the strong urge to touch him... an overwhelmingly strong urge to put her hand on his chest and let it travel all over it and down to his flat tummy. She'd never experienced such a strong urge before. It was a little unnerving to her.

 

“It's most definitely looking up,” Mika smiled. Against her better judgment, she opened both eyes now and let her eyes travel even further down his body. A happy trail... which she wanted to lick up and down.

 

 _'Jesus Christ, Blake. Get it together!'_ she scolded herself, as Cassidy raised an eyebrow.

 

“Does it now?” he smirked, before he saw her frown, just before she sputtered out a little laugh. “What? What's that laugh for?”

 

“Cassidy? Where'd you get those pants?” Mika motioned towards his drawstring pajama pants, with farm animals printed on them.

 

“Donation box for the poor. Why?”

 

Mika giggled. “You're wearing my pants. I donated them. Those used to be mine.”

 

“What? Really?” Cassidy looked down, then back up at her. “Why'd you throw those out? They're still perfectly good.”

 

“I know, I loved them. They're super comfy, but the legs were just too long. I kept stepping on them and ended up tripping. But they really fit you, hm?” Mika shook her head with a little laugh as she took in his whole ensemble. “A brown terrycloth robe, pj's with animal print, and boots... is there nothing you can't pull off?”

 

“Heels. I just don't have the legs for them,” Cassidy replied immediately, making the woman next to him laugh.

 

“Me neither,” Mika grinned, “but in that sense I am a bit of a girly girl, I'm afraid, and I have heels in my closet anyway.”

 

“You know what else you've got? You've got a lovely voice, luv.”

 

“Aw, thanks, Cass. I was in a band for a hot minute.”

 

“Really?”

 

“Yes,” Mika nodded, then she started laughing. “A Bad Religion cover band, believe it or not.”

 

“I can believe it. There wouldn't be any tapes around from any of your performances, would there?”

 

“I don't think so. And it was just two performances.”

 

“Only two? Was your band no good?”

 

“Oh, it was. I just wasn't able to deal with the audience. All the auras... and I haven't been able to block out people's emotions the way that I'm able to now, and even now it's still hard work... It was too overwhelming unfortunately.”

 

“That's too bad.”

 

“Yeah. Oh well, it made my boyfriend very happy. He didn't like the attention the whole thing brought with it.”

 

“You mean your husband? The arrogant, entitled, belligerent douchebag Henry Blake?” Cassidy recited from memory.

 

Mika bellowed out a laugh. “Ha! I see Jesse mentioned him.”

 

“In passing,” Cassidy smiled. “He also mentioned that you carry your wedding ring around on your keychain and that he doesn't know, why you're with the fella.”

 

“In passing, huh? Well... Good thing he won't have to ask himself that particular question anymore,” Mika told him and used her head to motion in the direction of her full duffel bag, that sat on the ground near the altar. “We're separated now.”

 

“What happened? Do I have to go give his entitled arse a good whipping?”

 

“No. Nothing happened, really. I just realized I didn't want to live like that anymore. This has been a long time coming. Henry and I were never right... it was never real. It's time to move on.”

 

Cassidy felt like cheering. He wouldn't have had a problem with stealing her away from her husband, but her divorcing the guy simply made for less trouble. Exactly what Jesse had asked for.

 

“Speaking of which... Where are you going to move on to?”

 

“Funny you should ask. I remember you mentioning something about an attic the other night? It sounds like the perfect place to hide out for a bit.”

 

Now he felt like doing a victory dance. “No problemo, luv. Mi casa es su casa.”

 

Mika smiled and just studied him for a moment.

 

“What?” Cassidy asked, not quite knowing how to interpret her silence or the look she was giving him.

 

“I figured out why I've been feeling like I've known you for a much longer time, than I actually do.”

 

“Why?”

 

“I don't know exactly what it is about you, but you or some of your mannerisms remind me of ALF.”

 

“ALF?”

 

“ALF,” Mika confirmed with a nod of her head.

 

“ALF? Like the small, furry guy on the TV?” Cassidy asked with a raised eyebrow as he made a face.

 

“Yes. Nooo, don't look at me like that. It's not meant to offend you. ALF is my favorite. He's like... my comfort zone.”

 

“Okay, that sounds slightly better, but you still might have to elaborate there, luv.”

 

“I have very fond memories of ALF. I grew up in Russia, you know? We didn't have a TV. We didn't have electricity. Not even a radio.”

 

“Russia didn't have electricity in the... I wanna say, 90's?”

 

“Russia did have electricity. My family didn't. We lived in the woods, it's a long story. Anyway, my dad and I came to the States in '93. It was a shock to the system. I was so overwhelmed... With everything. The plane, the cars, the electronics, the music,...”

 

“Jesus, you didn't know music?”

 

“Nope. It was a completely new world. We came to Annville. To this day, Jesse and I don't know how in the world our dads knew each other, they both died before they were able to share that with either one of us, but fact was, they knew each other and that was why we came here. I was nine years old... almost ten. Jesse was only seven, just like Tulip. I spoke only a couple of words of English. My dad obviously never thought it necessary to teach me, even though he was surprisingly fluent. It was rough. Jesse and Tulip started teaching me by watching ALF, and I don't know... it became such a safe haven for me. Being with those two in the warm living room, drinking soda, eating candy, watching ALF, while they tried to teach me the right words... Which means my first year of living here, I was getting by on ALF quotes. I think I greeted everyone with 'Yo Lucky, my man'. So... good memories...”

 

“Do I make you feel safe then? Is that what you're saying, luv?” Cassidy really hoped that was the case. That would be another new one for him... that someone felt safe around him.

 

Mika thought about it for a second. “I'm not sure that I would go that far yet. But being around you gives me a **sense** of it. Of being safe. I don't know how to describe it. Looking at you takes me back there and that's good. I trust you already, and that is possibly the highest compliment I can ever pay you. I'm usually not very good with strangers.”

 

“I'll take it,” Cassidy smiled.

 

“Where did you even come from?”

 

“Dropped out of the sky.”

 

“It seems that way,” Mika smirked. “It's the weirdest thing. I don't even really care where you came from. I don't wanna know how you came here or why you're here to begin with... That's so not me usually, but here I am... just being happy I met you. Hm, maybe Henry is right, maybe I do have a death wish.”

 

“What? What a strange thing to say to your wife. Why would he say that? Do you tend to do dangerous things?”

 

“Not at all. It's just...” she stopped herself. She obviously couldn't tell him the truth. She couldn't tell anyone the truth. Not even Tulip or Jesse. “He's worried that someone could find out about my abilities and abduct me or something. Use it for evil purposes, things like that. He's a little paranoid, I guess.”

 

“The guy does sound like one hell of a gobshite, but I reckon the paranoid part is understandable. I get that,” Cassidy said, when he suddenly remembered the clone people. “Shite...” he sighed. What if they found out, that she had a power? Would they want to take that as well? Of course they would. They would tell their government or someone in Heaven or whatever, and they'd take her and do all kinds of screwed up stuff to her. “I reckon I'm never gonna sleep again,” Cassidy lamented.

 

“Oh no, don't you start being overly dramatic, too. I've had enough of that for at least three days,” Mika said, before she looked past him at the door to the living area. Jesse was awake and poking his head inside the nave.

 

“I made eggs. Coffee's done, too,” the preacher announced, before he headed back inside his living quarters.

 

Cassidy picked himself up from the floor, then he held his hand out to Mika, enjoying the pleasant shock that shot up his arm, when her hand touched his.

 

“Thanks,” Mika smiled and went for her bag, but Cassidy was faster.

 

“I got it, luv. Go on, lead the way.”

 

“Thank you, Cassidy. That's sweet of you.” The pair followed Jesse, who was filling coffee into the three mugs at the table. “Sorry for waking you up, Jess,” Mika apologized as she sat down at the table.

 

“You didn't. I was already up, working on my sermon for tomorrow. How're you feeling? Better?”

 

“Getting there... I left Henry.”

 

Jesse's eyes grew wide in surprise. “Left him? As in...”

 

“As in separation. As in I'm done.”

 

“What did he have to say about that?”

 

“Umm, not much. I think he's gonna be busy processing things for a bit. Is it okay if I stay here for a while?”

 

“Sure. There's always room for you here, Mika, you know that.”

 

“Thanks,... errrm...I'd like to work here, too... if you wouldn't mind?”

 

“Work?”

 

“Yeah, meet my clients here. It's just, Henry... Because you're here, he is less likely to show up here, than at my office.”

 

Jesse's brows knit in concern and confusion. “Mika, is there something you're not telling me? Did the son of a bitch threaten you?”

 

“Did he hurt you, luv?” Cassidy, who wore the same expression as Jesse, asked as his aura became a hurricane of purple and burgundy.

 

“No, he didn't hurt me and he didn't threaten me. It's alright. Just forget that I asked.”

 

“No, I won't forget. You can work here. It's no problem. I just wanna know what happened.”

 

“Nothing happened.”

 

“I can make you tell me, you know?” Jesse sported a smug smirk.

 

Mika looked up from her plate of eggs with wide eyes. “You wouldn't dare.”

 

“Why not?”

 

“Oh, let's see... 25 years of friendship and of me never invading your mind. Don't you ever dare using that power on me, unless it's to save my life, you hear me?” Mika raised her voice as she started to get upset.

 

“Right... 25 years of friendship,” Jesse scoffed, “but also 25 years worth of lies. I don't know, Mika. Maybe I should use it on you. Maybe the truth will set you free...”

 

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

 

“It means, that I'm not stupid. Couple days after your father gets killed, he shows up here, out of the blue and acts like you're his property. That wasn't what raised any red flags for Tulip and me, though... all the boys in school were crazy about you. It was the fact, that you let him do it. You. The girl, who didn't let anyone tell her what to do. The girl who never needed anyone for anything... I might have understood, if you would have been head over heels in love with him, but for Christ's sake Mika, you didn't even like the guy and I'm willing to bet my daddy's church on it, that you still don't. Can you blame me for being tempted and think about using the power on you, so that I can finally get some answers?”

 

“You want answers, Jesse? Fine, then let's get you some answers... What was I supposed to do, huh? My father was dead, your father was dead and you were gone. For six months, we didn't know where you were or if you were even still alive. I was a wreck, because I thought it was my fucking fault that your father died and that you disappeared. Tulip blamed me, too, because neither one of us knew any better. Not until you finally picked up a fucking phone and called her. I didn't have anyone left, except for him. And then you come back for, like, two minutes and then you and Tulip are off together working for that fucking Dany and all I get is the occasional phone call. You guys didn't care about what was going on here... and honestly, I don't even blame you for it. You needed to get out of here, I get it, but you didn't once think about whether or not maybe I might need an exit strategy as well.”

 

“Because you were with Henry!” Jesse yelled at her.

 

“But you obviously knew that I didn't want to be,” Mika yelled right back.

 

“Then why were you? You're not scared to be on your own, so don't fucking tell me, that you only stayed with him, because you didn't want to be alone, because that's bullshit.”

 

Mika pressed her lips together and stayed mum. Her nostrils flared, out of anger and from taking deep breaths through her nose as she tried to calm down.

 

“Yeah, see? And that's your precious little secret, you're not telling anyone, isn't it? The real reason why that asshole is even around. The real reason why you're in a sham marriage with him. And I'm just so goddamn curious, Mika, about what the hell has changed now. Why you want out now, after so many years.”

 

Mika grit her teeth. “Irreconcilable differences. There's your answer. Thanks for breakfast.” She shot up from her chair, grabbed her bag and stormed out, slamming the door to the nave behind her for good measure.

 

Cassidy sighed and lifted his coffee cup. “Oh well,... Here's to another beautiful, peaceful day at All Saints.”

 

“Shut up, Cassidy.”

* * *

 

 

 

 

 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A full chapter of Mika and Cassidy -interaction only. Hope you enjoy. Thank you for reading:)

The attic was mostly dark, except for the soft golden glow the daylight, coming in through the stained glass of the small round window high up on the wall, provided. It was fine by Mika. She enjoyed it, actually. It was comfy and she relaxed as she watched the tiny particles of dust moving about in the air.

 

“You're still here,” Cassidy's smile was a pleasantly surprised one, when he came back up to the attic and found Mika sitting cross-legged on his mattress.

 

She gave him a confused look. “Yeah... why wouldn't I be?”

 

“The way you stormed out after that fight just now. Thought you might march right back home to the arsehole.”

 

“Oh. Right... but no. That was nothing. Jesse and I, we're like siblings. We fight a lot. This was nothing,” Mika explained with a little smile. “He's an asshole, but he's my favorite human.”

 

“Is he though? An arsehole, I mean. Looked to me like he was concerned for you.”

 

“He's concerned for me alright... But he's also a fucking hypocrite,” Mika scoffed lightly. “I'm not the only one keeping secrets. Just like I'm not telling him about Henry, he still hasn't told me about what happened when he was gone, back when his daddy got shot. I know where he was, but what the hell happened to him, I have no idea. I just know that it changed him to the very core.”

 

Cassidy nodded, but he wasn't interested in Jesse's story. Not right now. “Jesse was right, hm? There is a secret surrounding your husband, yeah? What? Is he like a secret government agent? Is that why he is so paranoid about you getting taken? Because that would actually make a lot of sense. No wait, I got it. You are the very gifted daughter of some Russian oligarch... word about your powers got out and some old evil, immortal Russian czar with designs on world domination thought 'hey, influencing people, that would be a very nice and useful power to have' and started hunting you down. You escaped Russia and hid out in the tiniest, rattiest, most boring West Texan town you could find and when your da' passed away, the government sent that Henry bloke to look after you. Am I at all close, luv?”

 

Mika almost gaped at him. Sure, the details weren't quite right, but his idea in general, was spot on. She quickly caught herself and let out a little laugh. “Sure, you nailed it, Cass. Just one little question... Since when do oligarchs live in the woods without electricity?”

 

“I would imagine that living in the woods and 'off the grid', so to speak, served the purpose of hiding and protecting you?”

 

“Okay, plausible... buuuut the evil, immortal czar?”

 

“You are an emotion-reader, Jesse's Jesus Christ Superstar, Preacher Edition, with a superpower in him, that traveled the globe and made Tom Cruise explode. I'd say at this point, anything's possible, luv. Wouldn't you say?”

 

“If you put it like that,... yeah. I guess so. It's pretty darn unbelievable, isn't it?”

 

“That it is,” Cassidy agreed with a grin.

 

The two fell silent for a moment. Cassidy's curiosity wasn't satisfied yet, but even without being an empath, he sensed that she didn't want to talk about her husband. “How exactly do your abilities work, luv?” he changed the subject. “You see everyone's aura? From everyone around you at the same time? I imagine that would be quite a mess.”

 

“It is. If you're with more than one or two people, it becomes hard work to focus on them, instead of on their auras. To be present in a conversation with them, when all your mind tells you to do is to read them all the time... I wanted to die... at first,... to be completely honest with you,” Mika admitted quietly.

 

Cassidy felt his heart break a little. He reached over and, in a bit of a helpless gesture, he gently twirled a strand of hair around his long finger. “Don't say that, panda... I can't bear it. Please tell me, that you don't feel like that anymore.”

 

“I don't,” she smiled, as she felt her heart rate pick up a bit, when Cassidy sweetly played with her hair. “I can still get pretty overwhelmed, though. Try to put yourself in my shoes. You're nine years old and up until now, you spent your entire life in a cabin in the woods, with only your grandmother. No one else. Only your father pops in for a quick visit every other week. One aura, two at the most, and no other distractions. No other people, no electronics, no noise, no flashy colors, no nothing. Nine years of that and then all of a sudden, your father comes back and without warning, takes you to an airport. Hundreds of people. Screens. Noise, so much noise... Cars, airplanes and whatnot. And then the States. Even more people. White people, and imagine my shock, people with different skin colors, speaking different languages. Even more noise, even more, brighter colors. When we finally got to Annville, I was in shock for a while. It actually kind of protected me, but when that wore off,... boy... all hell broke loose, I can tell you that. I don't remember, how long it was, but my dad used to tell me, that I screamed and screamed and screamed, for hours and for days, even when my voice had given out, I kept screaming, because my head just wasn't able to deal with everything and I was on constant overload.”

 

“Jesus...” Cassidy breathed.

 

“Exactly,” Mika sighed. “John, Jesse's dad, and my dad, they confined me to this church for a while, and eventually, I started to calm down. They started sending Jesse in with drinks and food... little Jesse. You should have seen him. He was the cutest little boy, with the kindest eyes and the sweetest smile. It didn't take too long before I fell in love with him. Platonically, of course.”

 

“Of course.”

 

“Then we added Tulip to the mix. Then my dad... then John,... I slowly started to get used to being around more people. And you know, kids are resilient... over time I started to find coping mechanisms and techniques to protect myself. After a couple of years, keeping my mind blocked from other's emotions became a habit, but it is tough when there are bigger groups around. Going to the store or sitting in a full waiting room, that's exhausting. When it's like this, just you and me, I'm alright.”

 

“That's good,” Cassidy smiled, as he slowly let her hair slip from his fingertips. He shifted a bit, so he could face her a little more. “Do you feel what I'm feeling right now?”

 

“No. If I focus a bit, I can sense your feelings, but right now, I only see them in your aura.”

 

He frowned a bit. “So, you see feelings all the time, but you don't feel them all the time?”

 

“That's right. If I'd let myself feel them all the time, I would just crumble. One person's happy, one's depressed, the other insecure, etc... my body wouldn't be able to handle it. If I want to feel, what you're feeling and if I wanted to influence your feelings, I have to open myself up to it. Let my mind reach out to yours.”

 

“Would you fancy giving me a demonstration, luv?”

 

“Sure. If you want to, I'm game. But I have to warn you about something.”

 

“What's that?”

 

“I'm probably going to feel more than you want me to. You can't control it. I'm going to feel pretty much everything that's in there,” she tapped her index finger against his chest. “No matter how small and underlying... if it's in there, I'm going to pick up on it.”

 

“That's alright, lassie. I'm an open book. I've got nothing to hide. Just don't make me shit me pants. That's all I ask.”

 

“Don't worry,” Mika snickered, “I'm going to send you something nice.”

 

She focused her energy on him and let her internal switch flip, so that her mind could reach out to his. Cassidy's mind reacted immediately. It latched on to hers, like a strong magnet, and flooded her with an intensity she had never felt before.

 

She gasped audibly, almost breaking the connection, because the sheer magnitude of his emotions threatened to overwhelm her.

 

“Mika?” Cassidy instinctively reached out as he noticed her shocked expression. His fingertips rested on her knees, as he looked at her with concern. At the same time he wondered if she was already doing anything. He suddenly did feel closer to her, but he didn't feel any different yet.

 

She put her hands on top of his, closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She needed a moment to sort through that emotional whirlwind that she was absorbing from Cassidy. When she looked back up at him and searched his gaze, her eyes glistened with un-shed tears. “Christ, Cass...” she breathed a second later. What she was feeling was devastating. The all-consuming loneliness and the incredibly strong self-contempt he felt, was making her hurt physically. Her heart hurt for him, so much, that she could barely breathe.

 

Mika felt his love for her. It was real, it was pure and beautiful, but despite feeling it, Mika had a hard time believing it. He barely knew her. Or was he right? Did love at first sight really do exist after all? If his feelings for her were any indication, then yes, it did. She felt the happiness he got from being close to her and being able to look at her. She felt confidence, joy, trust and excitement as well, but compared to the ocean of isolation and disgust, it was but a tiny drop of water that got lost in the masses.

 

Cassidy felt like shit. Within seconds a steady stream of tears was freely flowing down her cheeks. He knew it was because of him. Because of what was inside of him. He freed one of his hands from her grasp and gently cradled the left side of her face in his tatooed hand and wiped at the wetness on her cheek with his thumb. “Haven't really thought this through, now have I? I'm sorry, luv.”

 

“Don't apologize, Cassidy. Not for your feelings. We can influence our thoughts, but never our feelings. Well... okay, I guess I can influence them... but not my own. Only yours. So here it comes.”

 

Mika remembered how she had felt the morning she had first met Cassidy. That joy she had felt, because he had made her laugh. She sent him that joy, she sent him her trust, as well as serenity and a nice huge wave of happiness.

 

Cassidy couldn't really describe what was happening to him, from one moment to the next, he felt warm. Like back in the day, when he'd been a little boy and his mother had taken him and his brother Billy to spend the day frolicking in the sun at the beach. It came out of nowhere, but he found himself giggling a little. The next moment he felt like he was sitting in front of a fireplace, with a nice, toasty blanket around his shoulders and a cup of hot chocolate with whipped cream and cinnamon in his hands, after a long walk through the cold snow. He felt comfortable and happy and at home. Content, was probably the right word for it, but he wasn't sure. It sure was nice and relaxing.

 

“That's amazing, luv,” Cassidy smiled serenely, as he still stroked her cheek with his thumb. A minute later, however, he was already on the hunt for the next new experience. “I changed me mind. About you making me shit my pants. Show me how bad it can get.”

 

“No,” Mika vehemently shook her head. “Sorry. You're feeling shitty enough on your own, I'm not going to add to that.” She pulled away from him a little bit and used the sleeves of her Batman hoodie to wipe at her tears. She severed their mind connection and blocked herself again. Funny enough, she felt cold now. Even though she was now protected from his negative feelings again, she instantly missed the way his mind had connected to hers.

 

She took a moment to collect herself, then she cleared her throat and let out an embarrassed laugh. “What are you doing to me, Cass? I'm **so** not a hugger, but right now, I really want to give you a hug. Would that be alright?”

 

Cassidy grinned and was opening his arms already. “It would be my pleasure, sweet panda. Come here, give us a good ole hug.”

 

Mika got on her knees and scooted between his spread legs. She wrapped her arms around him, tentatively at first, but Cassidy wasn't as hesitant. He enveloped her in a tight hug and crushed her to his hard, lean chest. It felt incredibly good to have her soft, warm body against the bare skin of his torso. This could be his new addiction, he thought. Opiates were great, yeah, but this... this might actually be even better... and probably easier to get, if he played his cards right.

 

Mika had let out a little surprised shriek, when he had so abruptly pulled her against him. The hug felt awkward to her at first, and she tried to remember when she'd last been in someone's embrace. It had been years, that was for sure, but how many? Henry possessively putting his arm around her in public for show, that didn't count. This was different. This was real and heartfelt and warm... 

 

_ 'Jesus Christ,... is this my first real hug since we left babushka in Russia? How did I live without it for so long?'  _ She had no idea how she had been so blind to everything that had been missing from her life,... but it had probably been for the better that way. Or else she might have suffered horribly for way too many years. 

 

“I know why I'm lonely,” she mumbled quietly against Cassidy's shoulder, as she started to relax into the hug. “Why are you so lonely? You seem sociable enough.”

 

“Doesn't mean anything, luv. Being sociable. Only means I'm good at having a good time. I'm good at fitting in, for a time at least, and getting by on me wits.”

 

“Where's your family?”

 

“Gone. Like yours. Like Jesse's... shite thing to have in common, isn't it?”

 

“Yeah. Fucked up all of us pretty good, huh?”

 

“I'll say,” Cassidy agreed. He felt Mika shift a little. She seemed to be getting a bit uncomfortable on her knees, but Cassidy wasn't ready to let go yet. He leaned back with her a little until he was able to put an arm under the back of her knees. He pulled her legs out from under her and sat her sideways over his lap. “There. That better, sweetheart?”

 

Mika froze again for a moment. She just wasn't used to this kind of physical contact. But damn if it didn't feel good.  _ 'Don't think about it. Enjoy. Who knows how many years'll pass until someone holds you again,'  _ she told herself. And so she nodded and settled against him. She wrapped her arms around his midsection and rested her head against his shoulder, lightly pressing her forehead against the side of his neck in the process. “Can I tell you something?” She asked once she was fully comfortable.

 

“You can tell me anything.”

 

“I'm scared that Jesse is going to leave again. That he'll realize that this isn't the life for him and that he'll get back together with Tulip and that they'll go back to what they were doing before he came back.”

 

“I don't know, luv, he seems pretty serious about this whole 'saving the town' mission of his.”

 

“Maybe. Being scared about him leaving is stupid anyway. I mean, he's been gone for most of my life. For years it's been mostly phone calls and a couple quick visits here and there... I don't know why our bond is even still there, but it is. I was so happy when he came back. I feel stronger when he's here. Maybe that's why I've been changing and why I've just spontaneously left Henry... because I'm scared I won't be strong enough to free myself, when he's not around anymore to have my back. That I'll just succumb to my fate and stay with Henry and keep living this nightmare.”

 

“See, luv, when you say things like this, it makes me think that the arsehole does hurt you. Does he put his hands on you, lassie? 'Cause if he does, I'm going to bloody hack them off and stuff them down his throat.”

 

“No. I wasn't lying about that, Cass, don't worry. He doesn't touch me,” she said, then she let out a little laugh. “He doesn't even touch me like this.”

 

“What? He doesn't hold you?”

 

“Not like this, no.”

 

“How then? Tell me.”

 

“He... well, when we're in public, we act like a happily married couple... but at home... Gosh, no...I'm sorry, Cass, but I really don't want to talk about it. I can't tell you. All I can say is, that it all served a purpose and that I know why he does what he does. It's over now, though. I hope. No sense in dwelling in the past.”

 

“Alright. That's fine. You won't have to worry about a thing though, luv. I'm here now and I'll help you. With or without Jesse. That's a promise, panda.”

 

“Cass?”

 

“What?”

 

“Please, for the love of God, stop calling me panda. I really don't like it,” Mika said as she looked up at him with pleading eyes, but at least a little smile was playing along her lips, showing him, that she wasn't mad or anything.

 

Cassidy grinned. He couldn't help it. Holding her and looking into her eyes and smiling face from this up close... It just made him grin like a fool. He had no control over it whatsoever.

 

“That's too bad, 'cause I really like it. What am I supposed to call you then?”

 

“I do have a name, you know?”

 

“I know, and it's a beautiful name, luv... It just won't roll off me tongue very often.”

 

“So I've noticed.”

 

“What did you say your middle name was again?”

 

“Kristina. With a K.”

 

“If you ask me, that suits you better than Mika.”

 

“Maybe because it's my actual name?” Mika revealed. She probably shouldn't have, but what could she say? She trusted Cassidy. It was as simple as that.

 

“How do you mean?”

 

“My dad thought it would be better if we had new identities after fleeing Russia. The first nine years of my life I was Kristina. But when we left the country and I got my new passport, it said that I was called Mika.”

 

“So you did flee, did ya? I was right about that,” Cassidy smiled triumphantly.

 

Mika didn't comment on him having been right. She shook her head with a laugh. “Anyway, my father must have felt a bit sentimental about the whole thing, so he let me keep my name as my middle name. I've been Mika Kristina Petrov for so many years now... Longer than I've ever been Kristina Semenov... and yet, I never got used to it. It's never felt right.”

 

“If you were trying to hide, why didn't your da' make sure, that you got the most American names, he could've come up with?”

 

“I don't know,” Mika shrugged. “There's so many things I don't know. My father was a **very** secretive man. Until my father died, I had no idea, why we'd left Russia. Henry was the one who told me, after his death.”

 

“Henry was sent here to protect you, after your father died, wasn't he?” Cassidy asked, then he nodded when Mika remained mum. “I'll take that as a yes. I wasn't wrong, was I? There's people after you. After your abilities...” Cassidy's blood ran cold, when he remembered the damn clone people, who were after Jesse's power. What if they were after Mika as well? What if they belonged to the people who were after her? “That Henry bloke... Is he special?”

 

Mika looked at him questioningly. “Special?”

 

“Does he have powers? Like you and Jesse?”

 

“Oh. No, he doesn't have any abilities. He's just in good shape and knows how to kick some ass,” Mika smiled. 

 

“Just a normal guy to protect someone like you? What kind of idiot decided that? You might be better suited for his job than he is.”

 

“That's what I keep saying, but no one is listening.”

 

“Gobshites.”

 

“Exactly.”

 

“So... Kristina, is it?”

 

“It used to be.”

 

“I like that even better than panda. I think I'll take up calling you Krissy. How's that?”

 

“Better than panda, that's for darn tootin'.”

 

“Right. We'll try it out, then,” Cassidy said and suddenly appeared deep in thought. He needed to pay a visit to the clones and question them about their whole agenda again. No one was going to touch his girl. He had to make sure, that they weren't here for her.

 

“Cass? Everything alright?”

 

“Yes. I just remembered that I've got something to take care of. As much as I hate to leave now, I better get to it.”

 

“Yeah, I should get back downstairs, too. Check out the situation in the fridge, go shopping, make some food, stuff like that.”

 

“Sounds good, luv,” Cassidy smiled. He looked into her eyes for a moment, just taking the time to drink her in, before he had to let her go. He tightened his grip on her and lowered his head, pressing a long kiss against her forehead, before he nuzzled it with his nose. She smelled so good. Apart from her shampoo or face cream or whatever, there was a very earthy, woodsy scent to her. Not the light, flowery stuff most of the women seemed to use. It was kind of dark and heavy, almost like a man's cologne, but there was still some lovely undertone in there, that clearly spelled “woman”. He liked it. 

 

_ 'Holy crap, why does this feel so good?'  _ Mika had her eyes closed and enjoyed feeling Cassidy's lips on her skin. She didn't want him to stop. She didn't want him to leave. If it would have been up to her, she would have stayed in his arms and his lap for the remainder of the day, hidden away in the dark, dusty, but cozy attic.

 

She bit her lip, to keep a happy sigh from escaping and looked up at him with a beaming smile, as Cassidy slowly released her. “Okay then...” she sounded out of breath again, which seemed to become a new habit for her, when she was around Cass. “I'll let you get to it.”

 

“Okay,” Cassidy nodded smilingly and quickly kissed her forehead again, before he let her get up. “I'll make sure to be back for dinner.”

 

“Good to know,” Mika smiled. “I'm thinking steaks.”

 

“Perfect,” Cass grinned.

 

Mika nodded, then awkwardly stood there for a moment, unable to tear herself away, before she finally got her legs to move. “Dinner's at 6.30. I'll see you then,” she told him as she walked out of the attic, feeling happy and frazzed and light and confused, all at the same time.

 

 


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own anything but Mika and Henry.

The clones, Fiore and Deblanc, were not happy with Cassidy.

 

“You said you'd bring him to us,” a pacing Fiore complained to the vampire.

 

Cassidy sat down on one of the way too soft beds that belonged to the Sundowner Motel, and shook his head. “No, I said I'd talk to him. Which I did... And honestly, he's intrigued. He just wants to know a little bit more about your plan, that's all.”

 

“The plan is simple,” Deblanc said. “The Preacher comes to us, we remove what's inside of him and take it with us.”

 

“Right. Do you know what? I'm just gonna... hold on... write this down.” Cassidy looked around and found a notepad and a pen on one of the nightstands. He took it and sat back down on the bed, looking at the two other men questioningly. “So... What's inside of him exactly?”

 

“We can't say,” Deblanc replied.

 

“I see. But you'll remove it how?”

 

With an exasperated look on his face, the other one, Fiore, pointed to the opposite side of the room. Cassidy's eyes followed Fiore's finger and saw a chainsaw on the floor. THE chainsaw, he'd used to cut up the clones into tiny little pieces, the first time he'd killed them.

 

“We cut him open,” Fiore elaborated.

 

“With the chainsaw?” Cassidy raised his eyebrows at him.

 

Deblanc nodded. “Right. Although, we could try to draw it out with a song again.”

 

“Song?” Cassidy wasn't sure he'd heard right. A bloody song?

 

“Wynken, Blynken and Nod. His favorite.”

 

That rang a bell for Cassidy. Hadn't Mika said something about hearing that song in her dream? That dream she'd had about the priests exploding? Cassidy felt his blood start to boil. So these bastards did have a connection to Mika. And the guys had a British accent, like the voice in her dream.

 

He wanted to rip them to shreds in an instant. If they touched her, they would die a horribly painful death... Unfortunately, they would keep coming back, which meant in the end, it wouldn't solve anything.

 

“Mhm... Wynken, Blynken and Nod. That sounds great,” Cassidy wrote it down as he pushed his rising anger aside and tried to keep a cool head for once. He would need more information, if he wanted to keep both, Mika and Jesse, safe. “I think he'll prefer that to the saw. I'll be honest.”

 

Deblanc nodded. “We scoop it out and get it back into its domicile.”

 

“The coffee can.”

 

“Exactly. We put it back into its domicile and we take it home, where it belongs. That's the plan.”

 

“This guy,” Cassidy smiled and pointed towards Deblanc, as he looked up at Fiore, “That's just... That's brilliant. That's a really interesting plan. So, different question. You're from Heaven, right?”

 

“That's right,” Fiore admitted.

 

“And that means what? That you're angels or something?” The men stayed silent, which was answer enough for Cassidy. “Right. Okay. So, angels... And as far as angels go, you two are not actually... in charge, are you?”

 

Deblanc snickered. “No... no, no, no... not at all.”

 

Cassidy played along and smiled. “Right. Yeah, that's been really helpful. That's great. So next question.”

 

The angels rolled their eyes at each other.

 

Cassidy, of course, couldn't have cared less. “Any other person of interest around here you want to cut open with a chainsaw and scoop a power out of?”

 

“We're after the Preacher,” Deblanc told him with a slightly confused expression on his face.

 

“Yes, I got that,... but what's your next assignment. I mean, are you like bounty hunter angels? Tracking things or people, that got lost and Heaven's got an interest in? Like a Heaven's Most Wanted list? And while we're at it, is that list a global thing or is it a North America only kinda deal?”

 

Deblanc and Fiore looked at each other, both of them absolutely puzzled.

 

“We don't even know what that means,” Fiore lamented and sounded utterly defeated as he slumped down on the bed next to the one Cassidy was occupying.

 

Cassidy narrowed his eyes and gave both of them skeptical looks.

 

“Look,” Deblanc sighed. “we're custodians, not bounty hunters. We get the power out of the preacher and we go home. That's all.”

 

“Great. That's great... And the name Henry Blake... does that ring a bell? Is he one of your agents?” Cassidy kept prodding.

 

“No,” Deblanc shook his head and raised his voice, as he started to lose his patience. “We're only here for the preacher, so get him to us and all this will be over.”

 

“Alright, alright. Just being thorough. Keep your pants on...” Cassidy raised his hands over his head in a gesture of surrender. Then he put the notepad inside the pocket of his leather jacket, before he addressed the angels again. “Good, now that we got all that out of the way... Let's talk payment...”

* * *

 

“Is that apple pie I smell?” Jesse came walking into the kitchen, where Mika had been busy for a couple of hours already.

 

“You know it,” Mika smiled up at him, as he looked over her shoulder and snagged a bit of cheese from one of the bowls in front of her.

 

“Smells fantastic. I can't wait. What are you making now?”

 

“Heart Attack Meatloaf. The one with bacon and cheese. I told Cassidy we'd have steaks, but I didn't like how the ones at the store looked, so I'm making this instead. I was thinking mashed potatoes and green beans to go with it.”

 

“Sounds perfect. Where is Cass?”

 

“Not sure. He said he had some things to take care of, but that he'd be back in time for dinner,” Mika replied.

 

“You like him?” Jesse asked outright, making the woman he considered his sister blush furiously.

 

“Subtle, Custer... veeery subtle.”

 

“Wasn't meant to be subtle. I saw you two out in the church this morning. And the other night out front... I don't think I've ever seen you react to someone the way you react to him.”

 

“You might be right about that. I can't even describe it. It sounds so frickin' cheesy to my own ears, but from the moment I met him... the way he sat in that chair and riled Emily up with that stupid, sexy grin of his... I was immediately, like this,” she snapped her fingers for emphasis, “...so damn attracted to him. No wait, I'm lying. It was something different. I've been attracted to men before. I see them and think, mmm, yeah, not bad, I like it, but I'm not interested in anything other than enjoying the way they look. I don't want to jump them or anything... but with Cassidy... “

 

“I get the picture,” Jesse made a face, but he laughed a little as well. “Is that why you left Henry? 'Cause you didn't wanna cheat on him?”

 

“No, that's not it. Jesse, I'm...” Mika was about to tell him. Cassidy knew, maybe not in detail, why she was with Henry, so Jesse could finally learn the 85%-truth as well.

 

Something made her pause, though. Cassidy spent an hour with her, asked the right questions and figured out who Henry was, but Jesse hadn't managed to do that in the 25 years they'd known each other? He was smart and he'd known her for so long, he should have been able to figure it out by now. Tulip, too.

 

_'They don't care about you, the way you care about them,'_ a voice in Mika's head piped up. ' _They left you here, all these years, wondering why you were with a douchebag like Henry, but never really taking the time to_ _**really** _ _ think about it. Otherwise, they would have figured it out a long time ago. Minus the vampire part. They simply don't care all that much about what's going on with you.' _

 

The realization stung. Sure, little kid/teenager Jesse had had more than enough on his plate back in the day. Of course he'd been too young to figure it out back then, but adult Jesse... he should have figured it out by now. Unfortunately, whatever he'd been through during his long stay in Louisiana, after John's death, had made him as cold as ice in many ways. Empathy was a word he was no longer familiar with and Mika's situation hadn't been a priority for him. She'd been alive and taken care of, so he'd put her out of his mind.

 

“You're what?” Jesse asked, when Mika had trailed off and seemed far away all of a sudden. “Mika?” he nudged her with his elbow.

 

“What? Oh, sorry... where were we?”

 

Before Jesse was able to answer, the back door opened and Cassidy came rushing in, wearing sunglasses and a trucker hat and was using an umbrella to protect himself from the sun, muttering to himself. “Alright... here we go... all good... Ah, hello luv... padre...”

 

Mika and Jesse frowned at him. Mika was a little confused about his get up with the umbrella and everything. Jesse was used to Cass' funky outfits and his sensitivity to sunlight; he simply wondered where the hell he'd been.

 

“What have you been up to? Did you finally get the part for the air condition?” the preacher asked his new friend.

 

“No, still on back-order I'm afraid,” Cassidy replied as he closed the umbrella. He peered over his sunglasses past Jesse at Mika, who was forming the meatloaf and put it in a casserole dish. “Uuhhh, looks like you know how to expertly handle some serious meat there, luv.”

 

“Cassidy...” Jesse sighed and put his hands on his hips, but Mika laughed and winked cheekily at Cass.

 

“What? Get your dirty mind out of the gutter, would ya? I'm just saying, padre. That looks like it's going to be good.”

 

“Right. And where did you say you were again?”

 

“Oh, yes. You know, why don't we head out for a smoke and let our lovely chef finish cooking dinner in peace?” Cassidy asked and nodded towards the door.

 

“Alright. I have to head out for a bit anyway. When's dinner?”

 

“In an hour,” Mika replied. “Don't be late or no pie for you.”

 

“Then I'll make sure to be here on time. With bells on. Come on, Cass.” Jesse grabbed his keys and made his way out of the kitchen and over into the church.

 

Cassidy grinned at Mika and winked back at her, before he quickly followed Jesse.

 

“Alright Cass, you got two minutes,” Jesse told him.

 

“No, no, no... that's not long enough, this is kinda complicated.”

 

“Summarize.”

 

“Not really my strong suit, but alright. You remember the other night, when we kinda tied one on?”

 

Jesse frowned. “Not really.”

 

Cassidy grinned in response. “Of course not, you were blizzard.”

 

He then proceeded to tell Jesse about the clone people. How they had tried to kill him, when he'd been unconscious and how Cass had taken care of them by cutting them up and stuffing them in a suitcase, only to have them come back to life. And in one piece.

 

“Who came back?” Jesse asked. Once again he had trouble getting half the stuff Cassidy was rambling on about.

 

“What do you mean, who? Honestly, will you pay attention? The guys! The ones I was telling you about. They're following me halfway across the country.”

 

“Oh. The vampire hunters?”

 

“Yes! Only they weren't vampire hunters. They're like government agency clones. Like androids with human innards, I thought, but then they turned out to be bloody angels, man.”

 

“Right. And what were you smoking?”

 

“Nothing. I was sober, is the sad part. Look. You ever been to New York? Or San Francisco? Tijuana? Honestly, the stories I could tell you about TJ, padre.”

 

“What are you talking about?”

 

“I'm talking about we have to get you out of here. Road trip, man.”

 

“I'm not going anywhere, Cass. What the hell is wrong with you?”

 

“With me? What's wrong with you, huh?”

 

“I've got no air-conditioning. Just fix the damn thing already,” Jesse told him as he climbed into his truck.

 

“Look, padre... I'm trying to tell you, that thing inside of you... people, they're gonna want that.”

 

“And I'm going to give it to them. See you at dinner.”

 

Jesse drove off, leaving an exasperated Cassidy behind.

* * *

Cassidy went back inside, humming and singing as he tried to shake off his frustration over Jesse's unwillingness to listen to him.

 

“You're so pretty... I first laid my eyes on sweet Molly Malone...”

 

Mika smiled to herself when she heard Cassidy sing as he came back in. “Mmmm, nice voice,...” she told him when she heard his footsteps reach the kitchen. She looked over her shoulder to grin at him, which turned into giggling, when he grabbed her by the waist from behind and pulled her back against him. He smiled down at her for a second, but remained uncharacteristically silent.

 

“You're frustrated,” Mika stated a moment later, when Cassidy kept being quiet. “Jesse acting like a dickhead again?”

 

“He's just not listening. Honestly, it's worse than talking to a wall. An actual wall probably listens more than Jesse Custer does.”

 

“Oohh, trust me, I know that feeling,” Mika laughed. “He's so self-obsessed sometimes... it drives me insane.”

 

“I'm sure you could help me get through to him,” Cassidy smirked down at her. “Use your ability to make him more receptive to what I'm suggesting.”

 

“Yeah, sure,” Mika snorted with a sarcastic laugh, “I fuck with his head, even though I promised not to and then he uses his power on me and makes me stay away from him. No thanks, Cass.”

 

“What? Shying away from a Battle Royale of your mindfucking powers?”

 

“I doubt there'd be much of a battle. As much as I hate to admit it, Jesse's power easily trumps mine.”

 

“Yeah, that's true. That's too bad,” Cassidy sighed.

 

“What's going on, anyway? What were you suggesting?”

 

“A road trip.”

 

“A road trip???” Mika wore an utterly confused expression, as she turned around in his arms so she could face him.

 

“Yes.”

 

“Why? Why would he go on a road trip right now?” Mika looked at him in confusion.

 

“Not just him. You, too. The three of us. And his girl, I reckon.”

 

“Me? Why on Earth would I go on a... Cassidy? Seriously? How'd you come up with that? Why now? I have work and so does Jesse.”

 

“There's a lot going on. Getting out of here sounds like a good idea, does it not?”

 

“Nope. It sounds more like running away and that never really solves anything, now does it?”

 

“Might in this case,” Cassidy mumbled while he noticed, that her eyes had strayed from his own, up to a spot right above his head. She was reading him, and just a second later, she looked back into his eyes with a searching gaze.

 

“Why are you so worried? What's going on?”

 

Cassidy raked a hand through his messy hair. He let go of her and started pacing a little. He wasn't sure why, but he really didn't want to tell her about the angels. Maybe, because he wanted her to stay as far away from them as possible, and he had a feeling, that she might do the exact opposite, if he told her about them.

 

“I don't know. I-I-... I keep thinking about your dream. Everything happened, except for some English fella singing Wynken, Blynken and Nod. What if he shows up and isn't a nice little man wanting to sing a bloody stupid song in church for the little kids, but a chainsaw-wielding cowboy clone from Heaven, who wants Jesse's power for himself?”

 

Mika was amused, but at the same time, she was pretty sure, that Cassidy was losing his marbles. She raised an eyebrow at his ranting and smirked. “That's oddly specific and weirdly random at the same time. Did you get a heatstroke? It is a little to warm to be wearing a leather jacket outside, I guess. Oh, by the way, you look really good in that.”

 

“Thanks, luv, but seriously, in the dream, you didn't see who was singing?”

 

“No.”

 

“And you don't know what it meant? If it had anything to do with you?”

 

“I highly doubt it. My dreams have never been about me. I'm not even there, in a way. It's hard to explain. I get sucked into the dream, but my body is not there with me, you know? Oh, I know, have you ever play Warcraft?”

 

“Can't say that I have. That's the online game Captain Kirk and Mr. T are playing, isn't it? The one where they have pointy ears and such?” Cassidy held his index fingers up to his ears and wriggled them as he said it.

 

Mika nodded with a laugh. “That's the one. Anyway, there's these Orc warlocks, at least I think they were Orcs... or Tauren? No, it was the Hellfire Peninsula, there were a lot of Orcs there. Hellfire Citadel, that was like Orc Central. So it was definitely Orcs...” This time it was Cassidy's turn to raise an eyebrow at her, while he looked fairly confused. What on Earth was she talking about? What did this weird game have to do with anything? But hey, she looked really cute while talking “nerd”. “Everywhere you looked, Orcs, Orcs, Orcs. And those stupid Fel Reavers. Those sometimes popped up out of nowhere. Quite a trick for fuckers that huge, but that's where the flying mount came in handy, IF I noticed them early enough to mount it... God, I miss it. It's such a good game. I miss my beloved Blood Elf paladin. Maybe I should get back to it. It was a nice distraction. No one to read in there. Just the screen and I... wait... what were we talking about?”

 

Cassidy snickered. “Your dream, luv. You were telling me about how your body isn't there?”

 

“Oh, right. What I wanted to say was, these warlocks had these green orbs that flew around. It was like a huge green eyeball that flew around and sent images back to the warlock.”

 

“Like a drone?”

 

“Yes, exactly. That's what it's like for me in the dreams. It's like I'm out here, but my eyes are in the dream, floating around. I'm just a spectator, but I'm not really part of the dream, I just see what happens.”

 

Cassidy smirked. “And that was a very complicated way to explain it, lassie. Are you sure that **you** didn't suffer a heatstroke during all your cooking in here?”

 

“Good point,” Mika laughed, before she proceeded to hand him a stack of plates. “Set the table and quit your worrying, would ya? Jesse and I can take care of ourselves. If I were you, I'd be more worried about what Jesse's going to do with his power. He's a very angry man with the ability to make people do what he wants them to. In my book, that's way more reason for concern than some British dude singing about catching herring fish.”

 

“Jesse's a good bloke. He'll do all right.”

 

“You don't know him like I do, Cass,” Mika sighed, before the two fell silent. A moment later, though, Mika had an idea. “You know what? You're right. A lot is going on and all of us could use a break, BUT,” she quickly said as Cassidy's expression brightened and turned hopeful, “no road trip.”

 

Cassidy deflated slightly. “Then what?”

 

“Let's all head to the bar tonight. Have a drink or two. Take our mind off of things for one night,” she suggested. “What do you think?”

 

“Guess it'll have to be good enough for now, luv.”

* * *

As usual, Tulip's voice was the loudest in the crowded bar that night.

 

“You, Mika Kristina Blake, are a big fat liar,” she shouted at her friend, and stabbed her index finger at Mika's chest with each word, for emphasis. “You had the biggest lady boner for Janet Jackson back then. You had the poster right next to your bed. Right next to your face, for crying out loud.”

 

“Did you really?” Cassidy asked with a grin. The trip to the bar had been a great idea. So far, everyone seemed to be having a great time and enjoyed themselves.

 

“She did,” Jesse smirked. “Kept staring at that thing for hours.”

 

“Yes, I did. But it wasn't like that,” Mika defended herself. “I didn't want to be **with** her, I wanted to be **like** her. It was the poster for 'Black Cat'. It was Janet Jackson, dressed all in black, with a black panther in her lap. She looked so badass and cool and mysterious. I wanted to be like that. It had nothing to do with a lady boner or something. She was cuddling with a panther, for fuck's sake. It seemed like nothing could touch her, and I wanted to be like that.”

 

“That's when she started wearing black and black only all the time,” Jesse explained.

 

“A trend that still continues to this day I see,” Cassidy commented as he looked her up and down. “Oh, no wait... I see yellow around the Batman sign.”

 

“And that's probably the biggest amount of color you'll ever see her wear,” Tulip grinned.

 

“She was so cute,” Jesse reminisced with a cheeky grin. “Our little goth with the ALF sheets.”

 

“Oh shut up,” Mika laughed as her cheeks turned red. 

 

“ALF again?” Cassidy asked laughing. “You really love the furry fella, don't you?”

 

“I do. And I'm not ashamed to admit it. Well, maybe except for the sheets I still had as a teenager... but he just represents so many valuable memories. Watching him makes me happy, what can I say?”

 

“Don't worry about it,” Jesse told her. “It's not as bad as Cassidy liking Justin Bieber.”

 

“Whaaaaaaaat?” Tulip and Mika both looked at Cassidy like he'd grown three new heads.

 

“Hey now, that was a secret. As my best mate, you're supposed to keep those. And also, that kid puts on a good show. It's good entertainment, especially on angel dust and an 8-pack of Redbull,”

 

“Okay, you were high, that's a good excuse. Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to even look at you anymore. Korn and Bieber just don't mix,” Mika teased him good-naturedly. 

 

Cassidy smirked suggestively and took a step closer, getting in her personal space and leaning in closer as he supported himself on the bar with one arm. “Good thing you can keep undressing me with your eyes then, huh?”

 

“Oh, I'm not undressing you. I'm admiring the way those jeans fit you. I'm enjoying the whole package,” Mika winked with a flirty smile.

 

The smirk on Cassidy's face got even more suggestive, which hadn't seemed possible to her a moment ago. Mika shifted in her seat, pressing her legs together as inconspicuously as possible, even before he spoke in the lowest voice, she'd ever heard him use. “You can enjoy me whole package whenever you want, luv. It's even better without the bloody jeans.”

 

_ 'I'm married,'  _ Mika immediately thought, as she entertained the idea of leaving with Cassidy right this minute. For a nanosecond she felt guilt, before she realized how stupid that was.  _ 'No, I'm  **not** fucking married. It's a front, we do not have a romantic relationship. It's a lie, it's not my life. Not anymore. You're a free woman and you want to eat this guy alive. He wants you, too, so just freaking go for it!' _

 

Mika and Cassidy looked into each other's eyes for a long moment, then Mika grabbed her vodka shot from the bar, tossed it back and then slid off the bar stool. “Take me home, Proinsias,” she smirked as she squeezed past him, slowly rubbing her body up against his in the process. 

 

Jesse and Tulip regarded her with knowing smiles as she squeezed between them and kissed Jesse's cheek. “Thanks for the drink, Preacher.”

 

“You're welcome. You gonna be okay to drive?”

 

“I'm fine. Come on,” she grinned at Cassidy and motioned towards the exit with her head.

 

“Padre... Tulip...” Cassidy tipped his imaginary hat, then he followed Mika quickly. “Proinsias?”

 

“It's growing on me.”

 

Cassidy chuckled, and as she walked a couple of steps in front of him towards her car, he watched the sexy swing of her hips and how her black leggings hugged her round, firm ass just right. “Something's growing on me, too, luv,” he growled to himself.

 

“What was that?”

 

“I said you best get us home, lassie. And fast.”

* * *

 

 

 

 

 


	6. Chapter 6

Mika had never been a very nervous or anxious person. That she'd had to flee her home country, because some powerful vampire had tried to hunt her down and had slaughtered her extended family in the process, hadn't changed that. She was confident and strong... cool as a cucumber, some might even say. She was quite successful in not overthinking things and in taking them in stride,... which was why she was completely out of her element right now.

 

Sitting next to Cassidy in the car, on their way home, thinking about what was going to happen, about what she **wanted** to happen, once they got there... it was turning her into a nervous mess. She wasn't a virgin... in her mid-twenties, when she and Henry had decided to give it a real go and had practically forced themselves to try and fall in love with each other (unsuccessfully), they'd had sex. It had scratched an itch every now and then, but it hadn't been all that, so after a while, they had stopped again. 

 

So, no. She was no virgin, but this was very new to her anyway. Not to mention that it was the first time, she actually really wanted someone. It was terrifying to her. It was one of those instances, where she desperately wished, that she would be able to influence her own feelings and force herself to relax. Unfortunately, that was not an option.

 

Cassidy noticed that Mika had become very quiet, but quite fidgety, which wasn't usual for her, he knew that much about her already. He started to remember the conversations he'd had with her and with Jesse, and he realized, that from what he'd been told, she'd always been with Henry and very probably no one else.

 

When she had parked the car in front of the church, Cassidy quickly got out and walked over to the driver's side where he opened the door for her.

 

“Luv?” he asked as Mika got out of the car.

 

“Hm?”

 

“Question for you.”

 

“Shoot.”

 

“Have ya slept with the arsehole?”

 

Mika gasped for air for a moment, but not out of embarrassment. She was surprised by how Cassidy always seemed to know exactly what was going on with her. Then again, this one probably hadn't been all that hard to figure out.

 

“I have,” Mika replied honestly as she leaned back against the now closed car door of her Subaru Forester. Despite her nervousness, she felt the desire for him flare up again as he stepped closer, bracing his right forearm against the top of the car, so he was able to comfortably bend down a little and look straight into her beautiful, large eyes. She saw jealousy flash up in his aura and found herself liking it. “Umm... not a lot and it's been, like, almost 10 years since the last time... which sounds pathetic, and it probably is, but... you know... special circumstances.”

 

“10 years?” Cassidy raised his eyebrows in surprise. How the hell did an adult go bloody 10 years without getting laid, he wondered. He would've fucking killed himself. However, her answer also pleased him greatly. With that sexy, mischievous smile of his, he gently cupped her face in his hands. “That's a long time..., but don't you worry about a thing, luv. It's like riding a bike,” he murmured against her mouth, before he closed the gap between them and caught her soft lips with his.

* * *

Cassidy's kiss created a chaotic whirlwind of emotions inside of Mika, and before she had the slightest chance of getting a grip on them, he made it even worse, in the best way. He wrapped one arm around her waist, pulling her flush against him, while his left hand slid from the side of her face around to the back of her neck, holding her tightly as he angled his head and deepened the kiss.

 

His tongue slid across her lips and wasted no time slipping between them, when Mika parted them for him. Cassidy gently nudged the tip of her tongue with his, moaning deeply at the pleasant sensation the kiss created inside his body.

 

That moan, combined with his tongue playing with hers,... Mika didn't know what to do with herself. She was absolutely helpless against that wave of desire that flooded her. That kiss and feeling Cassidy pressed up against her like that made  the muscles deep inside her belly clench almost painfully. Her lady parts tingled, downright torturously,  and sent lustful shock waves through her body. She felt them shoot up her belly, race up her throat and she felt them make her toes curl and her fingertips itch. She was overwhelmed, and all she could do was to hold on to his waist and return his deep kiss.

 

It was her turn to moan, when both of Cassidy's hands traveled down her body and squeezed her butt, making her crotch rub up against the hard bulge in his jeans, in the process. Cassidy chuckled and let his hands wander back up to her face, cradling it, as he broke the kiss and grinned down at her. He just looked at her with a big smile and kissed her again, looked at her for another moment and kissed her again. He seemed like he simply wasn't able to believe his luck.

 

“Let's get you inside now,” he eventually said before he gave her one last kiss. Then, with one swift moment, he had her over his shoulder and walked towards the church doors, chuckling as Mika laughed, her nervousness forgotten, and slapped his ass.

 

* * *

“Jesus, luv!” Cassidy couldn't stop feasting his eyes on Mika's naked body. “I might just start bawling like a bloody baby, you're so beautiful.”

 

“Stop,” Mika giggled and pulled Cassidy back in for another kiss. Her palms flattened over his chest, enjoying the feel of his surprisingly soft chest hair against her fingertips. She'd been wanting to touch him like this, ever since she'd first laid eyes on him. That she finally got to do it, that she finally got to feel him like this, it felt like a dream. She'd really freed herself from her prison and now got to delight in being with this hot, funny, endearing man. It was easily the best day of her life.

 

Cassidy slung one arm around her waist and roughly pulled her against him. The hand of his other arm went up into her hair, pulling on it, making her tilt her head to the side, giving Cassidy access to lick a long line from her shoulder, up to her ear. He nipped at the lobe. The sensation coupled with the sound of his low growl that reverberated in her ear were making her squeeze her thighs together.

 

“Jesus,...” Mika echoed Cass' sentiment, making her lover grin.

 

With his arm still slung around her back, he lowered her onto the mattress and then hoisted her up to the middle with a quick yank. Mika grinned happily. She loved feeling his strength. For such a skinny fella, he seemed to possess a lot of it. 

 

Cassidy chuckled when he saw her expression, then, he kissed the grin right off of her face. Their tongues dueled sensually inside her mouth, before Cassidy broke the kiss and started to make his way down her body. He licked and nibbled on her neck, sucking lightly at the base, before he placed little kisses across her upper chest. One hand came up, cupping her right breast and pushing it up towards his greedy mouth. He let his tongue slip past his lips, teasing her pale pink nipple by giving it soft little licks, grinning a little when he felt it harden against the tip of his tongue. That's when he parted his lips further and sucked the stiff peak into his mouth, letting his tongue play with it while he hollowed out his cheeks and created heavenly suction. With a gasp of his name on her lips, Mika threaded her fingers through his wild hair, clutching the strands rhythmically in time with his sucks.

 

Cassidy's  right hand slid right between her legs. His lips stretched into a satisfied grin around her nipple, when he felt the hot moisture at her opening. She was ready for him. Thank God, because he truly couldn't wait any longer. Next time, he knew he'd take his time and enjoy her more and let her enjoy him, but tonight, he just needed to be inside her and make her his already.

 

“Cass, please...” Mika squirmed under his touch. 

 

“On it,” he smiled with a wink as he came up to kiss her.

 

“I love when you say that,” she giggled, once again remembering their first meeting and his “very on it-outfit”.

 

With her help, he shoved his underwear down to his knees and positioned himself. Slowly, he pushed his hard cock inside of her, moaning when her wet heat engulfed him. “Jesus...”

 

Mika hissed and tensed a little when she felt him stretch her. Cass paused for a moment and kissed her sweetly. “Does that hurt you, luv?”

 

“A little, but nothing I can't handle. Keep going.”

 

“Are you sure?”

 

“Trust me. I'm okay,” she gave him a smile.

 

Cassidy had to take her word for it. He caught her lips with his again and kissed her passionately, while he let his right hand wander back down between their bodies. With experienced fingers, he gently circled her clit, making her tremble as her muscles reflexively clenched around him and gripped him harder. 

 

“Oh bloody hell,..” he groaned into her mouth as he pushed himself inside of her deeper and deeper. It felt amazing. He never wanted to leave her body again. 

 

“Damn, Cass, you feel so good,” Mika breathed as she stroked her hands over his back, before she put them on his butt and made him thrust inside of her all of the way. She got a grunt in return, as Cassidy now rested himself on his forearms on either side of her head.

 

Placing kisses all over her face and neck, Cassidy started pumping into her and quickly found his rhythm. His chest brushed her hardened peaks with every thrust, which was driving Mika crazy. Her lust-filled sounds were music to his ears, and he let them guide him along as he worked on bringing them both to a hard climax.

 

He felt the pressure build inside of him quickly, but only when he felt Mika's body lock up, did he allow himself to let go. Just when his name fell from her lips in a loud moan and he felt her shake and convulse in his arms, his hips stuttered and his own body tensed up and grew completely quiet for two seconds, before he erupted inside of her with an animalistic growl. 

 

With the last bit of energy he had left, he rolled off of her and on his back, but he immediately pulled her limp body on top of his and enveloped her in a warm embrace, as they both reveled in the afterglow of their intense encounter.

 

“Jesus,” Cassidy panted with a laugh and gently gathered Mika's hair in his hands and softly pulled, making her look up at him.

 

She rested her chin against his naked chest and smiled lazily. “Yeah...” Mika slowly let her hands run over his flat tummy, up to his chest and back down over his arms, and thoroughly enjoyed feeling his smooth skin under her fingertips. Her hands were still shaky, as was the rest of her body. Cassidy had made her cum like a freight train. “Did I pass out?” she mumbled half-asleep. “Because I feel like I might have passed out for a second there.”

 

“I'm not sure, luv,” Cassidy smiled and kissed her on her sexily swollen lips. “But you were making the loveliest sounds... I don't think you would have done that, had you been unconscious,” he whispered against her mouth, before he kissed her again. He simply couldn't stop himself.

 

“Mmmm,” Mika moaned quietly as she snuggled her face back against his chest. “Can I stay up here tonight?”

 

“You're gonna stay up here every night, luv,” Cassidy stated as he covered them with the old blanket. Then he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer, as he let out a quiet laugh. “Good luck getting rid of me now,... You might have to kill me.”

* * *

Mika let out an incredulous, but happy laugh, as Cassidy pressed himself against her front for the umpteenth time in the past 10 hours. 

 

“How is that possible? How are you ready to go again? Seriously, Cass, that's just can't be normal. Maybe you should go see someone about that.”

 

“See someone? About getting it up whenever I want? Why would I do that? And I cannot recall you sounding displeased with it in any way in the past couple of hours.”

 

Mika grinned and let her fingertips travel down his chest and belly. “I most certainly didn't... but in all honesty, I need a break. That part of me, at least.” She wrapped her hand around his rock-hard erection and lazily started stroking it up and down, while Cassidy groaned quietly and rested his forehead against hers. “My hands are fine, though. They can do some work.”

 

“That they can, that, luv.”

 

“And we can't stay in here all day. We need food and I wanna get down there into the kitchen, before the church fills up.”

 

“Mmmm... right... it's bloody Sunday,... oohhh, for Christ's sakes, that's good... keep doing that, luv. Just like that and you'll be in the kitchen in no time,” Cassidy groaned and snickered, as Mika's hands worked him in a steady rhythm now. “Holy shite... that's it, sweetheart. Just like that. Don't you stop now, don't you stop,... ooohhhh shite.” Cassidy came with a guttural growl, which Mika was absolutely fascinated with. She didn't know how he was able to produce that sound, but it did sound like it came from a feral animal. Something was probably very wrong with her, but she had immediately fallen in love with that sound. It was sexy and it definitely turned her on.

 

 

Cassidy grabbed the back of her neck and pulled her in to meet his lips. His tongue slid into her mouth and tangled passionately with hers for a long moment, before they broke apart so he could suck more air into his lungs. 

“I better get a move on,” Mika sighed. She really didn't want to leave their little bubble, but she had to. “I'm in desperate need of a shower, some waffles and some coffee. I'll see you down there, yeah?”

 

“Mhm,” Cassidy hummed with a smile and gave her a thumbs up.

 

Mika took another moment to just take him in. She smiled happily at his dreamy and content expression and kissed the tip of his nose before she got up, slipped into her old clothes, gathered her things and went downstairs.

 

* * *

 

 

Emily Woodrow looked at Mika, like she was a weird insect under a microscope.

 

“Did you...” she stuttered and pointed at the very staircase, a very disheveled Mika was just descending, “Did you just come down f-from the attic?”

 

“And a good morning to you, too, Emily.”

 

“But... Cassidy sleeps there.”

 

“I know.”

 

“You know? Did you...? With Cassidy????” she seemed horrified, which amused Mika greatly.

 

“Oh yeah,” Mika grinned as she walked past Emily into the nave. “You should have tried it when you had the chance, Em. He's amazing. The stamina of this guy... whew...”

 

“He's...a-am-am... but, what about Henry?”

 

“Oh, you haven't heard?” Mika looked at Emily in Oscar-worthy surprise. “We separated.”

 

“Separated? Why? You've been together forever.”

 

“Exactly. Just didn't work anymore. Now excuse me, I really need a shower.” Mika stepped through the door that led to the living quarters, and quickly shut it behind her, leaving Emily, whose mouth was still agape, behind in the church.

 

“Morning, Preacher,” Mika smiled as she dumped her duffel next to the kitchen table.

 

“Morning,” Jesse smirked and leaned back on his chair, regarding her with narrowed eyes. “I noticed you slept up in the attic all night.”

 

“Not really, no. More like I dozed off here and there in the attic all night,” Mika corrected him with a smile.

 

“Spare me the details,” Jesse joked, as he studied her more closely. “You look happy. Good for you. It's a good look on you... if Cass is the one to get you there, then God bless.”

 

“Thanks, Jesse. Not that we need your approval, but it's still nice to have it.” Mika grabbed the bag back up and started walking towards Jesse's old room.

 

“You're welcome. You hitting the shower?”

 

“Yep.”

 

“Cass still asleep?”

 

“Probably, yeah. I'll make some breakfast when I'm done in the bathroom. By then I'm sure Cassidy will be up and running, too, then we can all eat together after your service. Good luck with your sermon and everything,”

 

“Thanks,” Jesse said and finished his coffee, then he put his jacket on and made his way over into the church, where Emily had started setting up in the meantime.

 

* * *

Cassidy joined Mika an hour later, when Jesse's Sunday service was over and people started to leave the church.

 

“Lady Kristina,...” he grinned broadly as he walked up to the counter, where she was busy with the old waffle iron, and planted a sweet, long kiss on her mouth.

 

“Sir Proinsias,” Mika chuckled.

 

“That sounds like a proper thing, doesn't it?” Cassidy was smiling from ear to ear. “Come on then, let's give us a royal kiss.” He slung his arms around her waist and started to wrangle her away from the counter.

 

“Cass, no... I gotta watch the waffles. That sucker burns them so damn fast,” Mika laughed, as she playfully struggled against him. “Cassidy!”

 

Cassidy quickly gripped her wrists. Within the blink of an eye, he had Mika pressed up against the fridge, with her arms up over her head. “Got you now,” he smirked quietly as he lowered his head toward hers.

 

“Wouldn't have it any other way,” Mika breathed happily, just before Cassidy's lips captured hers in a deep kiss. His tongue conquered her mouth and she immediately forgot all about her surroundings. She slumped back against the fridge, as her knees grew weak. The only thing holding her up was Cassidy pinning her with his hands and body against the old ice box.

 

She had no idea how long she had gotten caught up in Cassidy, but she was rudely brought back to reality, when Jesse called out her name in unmistakable displeasure.

 

“For Christ's sake, Mika!”

 

Mika opened her eyes and immediately noticed the smoke. The waffle iron! Jesse stalked over to the counter and quickly pulled the plug, before he opened the lid, revealing the black, smoking waffle.

 

“Sorry, padre,” Cassidy said, looking anything but apologetic in the process. “Got a bit carried away there, I suppose.” He released Mika's wrists, but kept himself glued to her as he put one arm around her shoulders making sure she wouldn't move even an inch away from him.

 

Mika smiled up at him, until she heard a voice, that made her blood run cold.

 

“Mika? What the hell are you doing?”

 

She looked past Cassidy towards the kitchen entrance, feeling a pit form in her stomach. “Henry...”

 

Jesse sighed and put his hands on his hips. “Right... that reminds me. Your husband is here and would like the three of us to talk marriage counseling,” the preacher told her with an amused smile playing along his lips.

 

Mika closed her eyes and took a deep breath, before she uttered the only words, that came to mind.

 

“Ooh shiiit...”

 

* * *


	7. Chapter 7

**A few hours earlier...**

 

The alarm beeped loudly, making Henry Blake jump slightly, as it tore him out of his thoughts.

 

He kept staring at the ceiling as he reached over and turned the alarm off. He brought his hands up to his face and rubbed it hard. He was so tired and yet he couldn't sleep. He'd been awake all night. His mind wouldn't let him rest.

 

The call he'd received about two weeks ago had been the most exciting one of his life. They'd had him. He had been on the damn plane. Henry had been scheduled to meet up with the retrieval team upon their arrival at the organization's headquarters in Sarasota.

 

Finally, all those years of waiting patiently would have paid off. He finally would have met the abomination in person.

 

Even the news of the plane going down hadn't put a damper on his mood, because he had been sure that the organization would track that monster down quickly. He would have done so himself, but he hadn't been allowed, due to insufficient training and having been inactive for too many years. That's what he'd been told by his superior, Griffiths. “You're not a tracker, Blake. You're on protection duty only. We conduct the investigation, you wait for our call,” Griffiths had told him and as usual, Henry had listened.

 

That particular call had come shortly after Mika had left. It had been devastating. Henry's hopes of finally coming face to face with the vampire and thereby avenging his father and fulfilling his purpose, had been brutally squashed with just a 3-minute phone call.

 

The V.E.M, the Vampire Extinction Movement, the organization he'd been raised in, had closed the case. They were no longer pursuing the vampire from the plane.

 

The investigation report of the V.E.M stated, that the vampire had not survived the fall from the plane. Due to the innards found at the impact site, they were sure that the vampire had been smashed to pieces to the point at which a regeneration had been impossible.

According to police reports, the dead cow and the human remains they had found on site on the outskirts of Annville, had been ravaged by coyotes. The V.E.M hadn't found any evidence that suggested otherwise. They had declared the vampire dead and were now calling it their greatest victory to date. Sure, it hadn't happened the way they had wanted it to and with a lot of casualties along the way, but they had achieved the result they had wanted. Vampire dead. Case closed. Just like that.

 

Proinsias Cassidy was dead and gone for good. Even though he should have been relieved knowing that his father's killer was no longer among them, Henry's life's purpose was gone and it made him want to scream.

 

He felt helpless. He had thought about it long and hard, but he could not remember a situation in which he'd ever felt helpless before. He'd always taken charge, even as a kid. He always knew what to do. He was always in control. Or so he'd thought.

 

Over the course of the night, he'd come to the, quite painful, realization, that it had only been an illusion. He'd never been in control. Not when it came to the V.E.M. and especially not, when it came to Mika. Mika was the one who was calling all the shots. Always had been. She'd had all the power all along. He knew that now. He'd felt in control, because she'd let him. She had accepted her fate and had let him do his thing. Until now.

 

The most painful thing of all was, that everything Mika had said was the truth. She didn't need him. The imaginary threat, as she had called it, might truly be just imaginary at this point.

 

Vampires existed, yes. Just like witches and people like Mika existed, that was an irrefutable fact. However, no one in the organization knew how many or how little of them were really out there. None of his fellow “soldiers” would admit it, but apart from made up stories to make themselves sound more interesting, the evidence suggested, that there had been all of two vampires in the entire world; the Earl, the vampire who was after Mika, and Proinsias Cassidy, who'd killed Harris Blake, Henry's father.

 

Of course, those two could have turned a lot of humans during their long lives, who then turned even more people into vampires, but that didn't seem to be the case. Either that, or those sired vamps were extremely well-behaved vampires, which he didn't believe to be true. Vampires were monsters. Soulless, murdering, blood-sucking monsters, just like in all the books, movies and tv shows.

 

Who knew for sure, though, that the Earl was still walking the face of the Earth? Even if he was, what if Mika was right again? What if he really wasn't looking for her anymore? 25 years of not finding her, that had to mean something, right? She was well-hidden and well-behaved in terms of keeping her abilities a secret. No bragging about it, as others might have done. Nobody in this town knew about her powers, except for him, the asshole Custer and that no-good girlfriend of his. No way of word getting out, that an empath was living here.

 

The Earl had probably given up. Who knew. In the end, it didn't matter, did it? Again, Mika had been right on the money. If she was able to influence a vampire, she was better equipped to handle him than he was. On top of her powers, over the years, he had trained her in hand-to-hand combat, too. Mika knew the basics of how to fight. She wasn't the best fighter, but she was stronger than she looked and she was smart. Paired with her abilities, she would do alright. Also, due to growing up in the woods in Russia, she knew how to handle a hunting knife, as well as guns. It had been a while since she'd handled any, but the knowledge was there.

 

Laughter bubbled up in Henry, not the happy kind, though. He pressed the heels of his hands against his eyes and huffed, before he started talking to himself.

 

“She's right. She's so fucking right. I'm an idiot. A delusional, fucking idiot. What the hell am I doing here? This is pointless. Can't protect her from the Earl, can't get revenge for my father anymore,... It's all fucking pointless.”

 

Maybe it really was time to move on. He hadn't chosen this life. His father had been part of V.E.M long before Henry had been born. His mother had died in a car crash, when Henry had been 4 years old. By far the worst day of his life. It had been the day his life had changed forever. The day his father had chosen to only care about V.E.M from there on out. Harris Blake had made it his mission, to force his own radical beliefs upon his son. He'd beaten him into blind obedience over and over again, had taken Henry's free will until he'd functioned like a robot.

 

Shortly after Henry's 15th birthday, his father had been sent out to check out a potential lead on a vampire. Two days later, he died in a hospital in New York from the injuries the vampire had inflicted. Suddenly, his father was gone, But even then, he hadn't felt helpless exactly. He'd just needed a purpose, apart from waiting for the V.E.M to sniff out that damn vampire again.

 

About a week after his father's death, he'd found it. He'd been hanging out around the headquarters. Somehow no one from child services had come for him to put him in foster care. He'd figured the V.E.M had something to do with that.

 

He'd overheard Griffiths talking about the Petrov girl. Mika. Her father had gotten killed by a group of “vampire groupies” and she was without protection from the famous Earl. Henry had used his chance and had plead his case, explaining to them, why he would be the man for the job, despite his young age.

 

Griffiths had been reluctant at first, but after thinking it over for a couple of days, he'd agreed. Because of him being close in age to Mika, he'd blend in perfectly and no one would question why he was with her all the time.

 

A little later they had sent him on his way and the rest was history. As well as a gigantic waste of time.

 

So no, he hadn't exactly chosen this life, like she'd said, but he had chosen to protect her, however stupid that might have been. He had wasted the majority of his life, but there was no sense in crying over it. Now he had to make the best of it. He wanted to make the best of it with Mika.

 

_'A fresh start...'_ Henry thought with a little smile on his face. 

 

It would be great for the both of them. 

 

He knew with the whole separation thing Mika was trying to go with, he would have the option of leaving Annville and have his fresh start somewhere else,... but he didn't want that. 

 

He didn't have anywhere else to go. Especially not if he quit the V.E.M. Annville was his home, just like Mika was his home. She was all he knew and all he had. He loved her. Not how a normal husband was in love with his wife, but he cared deeply for her and he was protective of her... over time, if they would forget about the whole vampire thing, if they would give it a real chance, he was sure he would find himself being able to accept their differences and find a way to fall in love with her. Maybe they could have a child that would bond them more and more over the years. A real family... that would be nice, wouldn't it? 

 

But first, he'd have to make an effort and probably some amends. That was why he would seek her out at the church. The way to get through to Mika was through Jesse Custer. He would never, for the life of him, understand why she held the prick in such high regard, but it was what it was. At least he knew her weakness and he would use it to get her back home.

 

* * *

 

Henry was surprised that the church was filling up a lot more than he had expected. From what he'd heard, Jesse had been doing a very shitty job so far. Looked like the tide was turning, much to Henry's displeasure. He would have just loved seeing the preacher fail.

 

He sat down next to Sheriff Root and his son, Eugene, greeting both with a friendly smile.

 

“Mornin' Sheriff... Eugene. How're you doin'?”

 

“Good Morning, Mr. Blake,” Eugene was tough to understand, but as friendly as ever. “I'm good, thanks.”

 

“Long time no see, Henry,” Sheriff Root said, looking, as usual, mean and disinterested with a pinch of suspicion thrown in. “What have you been up to?”

 

“Nothing much. Working mostly. The demand for online gym classes has really picked up, so I spent a lot of time at home lately,” Henry replied.

 

Eugene seemed to smile... not that anyone could really tell, but his eyes seemed to light up a bit. “That's the dream, right? Working from home?”

 

“Well, yes and no. I like being active and outside, so being cooped up in the house all day long is not exactly my thing, but since there's not exactly much of a demand for a personal trainer here in Annville, I gotta do what I gotta do to provide for my wife, right? You know how it is.”

 

“Hmpf..” the sheriff huffed. “Looks to me like business is going well for her. Doesn't look to me like she needs you to provide for her... damn feminism. It's just not right having the woman bring in the lion's share... just not right...”

 

_'Oh brother...'_ , Henry thought and fought hard not to roll his eyes. “Different times, sheriff, different times.”

 

It wouldn't be the only time Henry would have to keep himself from rolling his eyes that morning. He immediately felt the urge pop back up again, when Jesse appeared and stood at the pulpit to give his sermon.

 

Henry noticed Jesse freeze for a second, as soon as he spotted him next to Eugene. Then the preacher sent him a death glare, which he would have loved to return, but for the sake of his future, he forced himself to keep a neutral expression on his face, but on the inside, he was cursing Jesse Custer six ways to Sunday.

 

_'Smug bastard. You're as arrogant as ever, aren't you? Wish I could wipe that fucking smirk off your face. Preacher... right... Damn hypocrite.'_

 

Listening to the sermon was fairly unbearable for Henry, but he managed a small smile for the remainder of the service. Mainly, because in his mind, he kept smashing Jesse's face in, over and over and over again. He didn't even know why he hated the guy **that** much, but something had always irked him about the younger man. They've never been able to stand each other. Maybe they both considered themselves too “alpha” to be able to accept the other one's part in Mika's life.

 

Or it was Mika's fault. Even though it was him, Henry, who had chosen to protect her and was always around, Jesse was still her number one, even though he had been abandoning her every chance he got for years now.

 

In the end, it didn't really matter what exactly made them dislike each other so much. Right now, Henry would have to do his best to make nice with the new preacher, so Mika would talk to him.

 

And so he hung back as the church emptied and patiently waited for Jesse to shake hands and see his flock out.

 

“Henry,” Jesse looked like he had a hard time to keep himself from looking too annoyed, as he came back inside and approached the other man. “Can't say I'm too surprised to see you here. I don't think she wants to see you, though.”

 

“She told you about the separation?”

 

“She did.”

 

“Did she say why she wants to separate?”

 

“Something about irreconcilable differences,” Jesse sighed and put his hands on his hips.

 

Henry let out a humorless laugh. “Irreconcilable differences... that's one way of putting it, I guess.”

 

Jesse sighed again, his mood definitely darkening already. “The hell do you want here, Henry?”

 

“Well, it's Annville,... in Annville people go to the preacher for advice and counseling... You're the preacher, so let's talk marriage counseling. The three of us.”

 

Jesse actually laughed at that. “Marriage counseling? You want me, the guy you probably hate most in the world, to give you advice on your marriage with my sister?”

 

“She's not your-”

 

“You want my advice, Henry?” Jesse didn't let the other man finish his sentence. “Let her go. That's the best you-...” Jesse trailed off and frowned. He looked around and sniffed the air.

 

Henry had noticed it as well. “You smell smoke?” he asked Jesse, just as the loud beeping noise of the smoke detector confirmed their suspicion. 

 

Jesse quickly strode past Henry and leaped up the couple of steps to the door that led to the living quarters. Henry followed him, already keeping an eye out for a fire extinguisher, but what he found instead, made his blood ran cold. 

 

Mika, pinned against the fridge by some tall, skinny guy, making out heavily with the stranger. They hadn't even noticed the smoke alarm yet, much less the smoke.

 

Jesse's voice finally managed to bring them back to the here and now, but the guy didn't take his hands off her. He put an arm around her shoulders and drew her into him, until she was stuck against his side from head to toe. 

 

“Sorry, padre,” Henry heard the guy tell Jesse in an Irish accent. “Got a bit carried away there, I suppose.”

 

Henry watched in horrified fascination how Mika smiled up at the man. He'd known her for over two decades now, but he had never seen her look So. Fucking. Happy before. She looked enamored with him. Like there was no place she'd rather be, than at his side. It made Henry sick to his stomach.

 

“Mika? What the hell are you doing?” he asked with an expression of utter shock on his face.

 

He watched her expression turn from surprise into one of annoyance, as she finally noticed him.

 

“Henry...”

 

“Right... that reminds me,” he heard Jesse speak up. “Your husband is here and would like the three of us to talk marriage counseling.”

 

Henry saw Mika close her eyes and take a deep breath, before she sighed deeply.

 

“Ooh shiiit...”

* * *

“Henry, what the hell are you doing?” Mika asked, sounding pissed off and tired of his shit at the same time.

 

“That's your husband?” Cassidy asked and followed it up with an amused snort. “I see they've found a way to bring Ken dolls to life, too. Honestly, the government technology is amazing these days. Well, lad, I'm sorry, that I have to be the one to tell you, but your time with my girl here, has **Ex** pired...” Cassidy chuckled at his own wordplay. “You get it? So now, kindly **ex** it our home and our lives. There's the door. On you go.”

 

“I'm not going anywhere. And who the hell are you? Mika, who the hell is this joke of a guy?” Henry asked as he took a step towards the pair with his fists already clenched.

 

“Oh, I'll tell you who I am. I'm the guy, who-”

 

“Don't!” Mika raised her voice and stepped between the two, “There will be no pissing contest here today, alright? Henry, what the fuck do you want?”

 

Cassidy stepped back with his hands slightly raised and muttering to himself. Henry looked him up and down. He looked like a freaking junkie wearing nothing but a ratty old bathrobe and some over-sized blue sweatpants. He couldn't believe that Mika would let a guy like that anywhere near her.

 

“Henry!” she called out to him again, this time her voice had a pretty sharp edge to it.

 

“We need to talk.”

 

“There's nothing to talk about and you know that.”

 

“There is. Something happened... I got a call and... we need to talk...” he looked imploringly into her eyes now. “Please.”

 

Mika looked up at his aura and saw that he was still quite angry and confused, but that his words were also sincere. So she acquiesced. “Alright. In the church.”

 

“Okay.”

 

Henry sent one more glare Cassidy's way, before he turned and walked back into the church.

 

“I'll be right back,” Mika told Cassidy, but it was Jesse, who grabbed her arm and kept her from following Henry.

 

“You really wanna do this alone?”

 

“I'll be fine. Trust me.”

 

“I do. I don't trust him... We'll be right here if you need us. Okay?”

 

“Yeah. Thanks.” She pressed a sweet kiss to Cassidy's bare chest and gave both men a smile, before she joined her husband in the church.

 

* * *

“So... what's up?” Mika didn't bother sitting down. She crossed her arms and leaned against the wall, while Henry was pacing in front of her.

 

“What's up? What's up with you? Who is that guy?”

 

“An old friend of Jesse's from Dallas,” Mika lied without missing a beat.

 

“And his name is?”

 

“None of your business, Henry.”

 

“That's why, huh? Because of him? He's the reason you suddenly couldn't get out of the house, out of our marriage fast enough?”

 

“No, he's not the reason. He's part of speeding things along I guess, but he's not the sole reason and you know that. And please stop acting like we're in a relationship and tell me what you wanted to tell me. Oh, and don't tell me you want to do marriage counseling, because that's a load of crap and I'll never agree to it anyway. There's nothing to counsel. Now please, what was that about a phone call?”

 

“Right... umm,” he looked around and lowered his voice before he went on. “I got a call from the organization. They concluded their investigation and I just wanted to let you know, that they declared the subject dead.”

 

“Okay. Thanks.”

 

“I also... I think I'm going to quit. The organization, I mean.”

 

Mika stared at him in surprise for a moment, as she processed the news. Then, a genuine smile appeared on her lips. “Really? Henry, that's... that's great.”

 

“Yeah?” For a second, he smiled as well, happy, that she was so excited about his decision.

 

“Absolutely. It's amazing. Now you can leave and you can start over, like me.”

 

The smile vanished and he sighed. “Right, yeah... that's the other thing I wanted to talk about. I don't wanna leave, Mika.”

 

“You don't? Oh... well... That's your choice, I guess. Good thing people are finding out that we separated. We can get a 'divorce' and then... errmmm,... Henry... you know everyone in Annville. And you never expressed any interest in any of the single ladies around here...”

 

“I know and that's true. I just thought... that we might...”

 

Mika's eyes grew wide. “Nooo,... that we would stay together? No. No. No, no, no, no, no, honey, no. I'm sorry, but no. Absolutely not.”

 

“Why not? Look, I thought about what you said and you were right. You don't need me, you can protect yourself, I get it. With all that drama out of the way, maybe we can find new common ground and try to have something real. Like, for real this time.”

 

“Henry no. You're jumping from illusion to illusion here. It's not going to happen. Not ever. I'm done and I truly meant that. I've moved on, as you might have been able to tell.”

 

“With him? Are you kidding me? That Irish bean stalk in the butt ugly robe?”

 

“Stop!”

 

“Mika, you can't be serious. I realize that you're craving some fun and sex and everything, but come on... 22 years... you really wanna throw that away? Do I really mean nothing at all to you?”

 

“You are a big part of my life, Henry, but you know what? I don't even consider us friends. I don't even know what we are to each other. Acquaintances who've lived together for 20 years, but that's it. I'm sorry, I can see that I'm hurting you, but I'm not going to lie in order to soften the blow. I'm not going to spend the rest of my life with you. I already started resenting you, just for being there every day. I can't take it anymore. I told you before and I'm telling you again now, if we stay together, it's going to end in a news report, that ends with the words 'and then he turned the gun on himself.' We would end up hating and killing each other, Henry. That's why we have to part ways now. We can stay in touch, but that's it. I wish you all the best, Henry. I truly do. A beautiful wife who appreciates you and everything you do. Kids. A beautiful family... but that is never ever going to be us. We both have to find our happiness elsewhere. I already took the first steps in the right direction and I suggest you do the same.”

 

Henry shook his head no. “I... no... No, Mika. This can't be it. Just give it some time and think about everything.”

 

Mika pushed herself away from the wall and moved to walk past him. “I can give it some time. I can think about it, but trust me, the result is going to be the same. I'm not coming back. Try to come to terms with that. You should leave now, we were about to have breakfast.”

 

“Mika!” Henry grabbed her arm, before she was able to reach the steps, and whirled her back around to face him. “You can't just walk away!”

 

“Hey!” Cassidy yelled, before Mika was even able to do anything. “Get away from her now or you'll wish you were never born.”

 

Jesse was by her side in an instant and pulled her out of Henry's grip and gently pushed her towards Cassidy. 

 

“I believe my sister asked you to leave,” Jesse said with narrowed eyes, but with a sickeningly sweet smile on his face. 

 

“She's not your sister and everybody knows it, Custer. What? You gonna try to beat me up now? Gonna break my arm, like you did with Donnie? Come on, then... you're welcome to try.” Henry growled and stepped closer to the other man as he tried to stare him down.

 

“Don't tempt me, Blake. There's so many things I could make you do... and I could make you do them with a smile on your face. But... I'm feeling merciful today, so I'll leave it for another day.”

 

“You're so full of shit, Custer. You're a self-absorbed, arrogant little shit. You filling your daddy's shoes? Dream-”

 

“ **LEAVE. AND DON'T EVER COME HERE AGAIN.”** Jesse used his power and watched with immense satisfaction how Henry was forced out of his church. The expression on Henry's face was priceless.

 

Mika, who was safely ensconced in Cassidy's terry-clothed embrace, breathed a sigh of relief. “Thanks, Jess.”

 

Jesse turned around with a smirk. “What? No being angry for using it on him?”

 

“If he won't listen to reason...” Mika shrugged. “And quite frankly. I'm glad he won't be able to show up here again.”

 

“You and me both,” said Jesse as he walked past them into the kitchen.

 

“You alright, luv?” 

 

“I'm fine. To be honest, I feel sorry for him. He's just scared. I'm sure in time he'll get better... But good Lord, now I definitely need coffee and waffles.”

 

“Let's get to it, then”, Cassidy smiled and kissed her gently. With one last look at the church doors he turned around and followed his friends into the kitchen. 

 

He was fairly certain that they had not seen the last of Henry and he didn't like that feeling one bit.

* * *

 

Mika worked out of the church for the next couple of days. That way, she didn't have to leave, which both, Cassidy and Jesse, thought was a good idea. The vampire only left her side when she was with a client or when she sent him out on a grocery run with impossibly long lists. 

 

Cooking and baking relaxed her and she was doing an awful lot of it. She enjoyed pampering her guys, and Tulip, who was coming over more and more. After dinner, they would sit at the table for hours, swapping stories and often playing cards. It was nice. It started to feel like a family. A dysfunctional one, but Mika felt (and saw) a lot of love between them. 

 

Not to mention the love she got 24/7 from Cassidy. Whereas she had hated having Henry around constantly, she loved it with Cassidy. When he wasn't running errands, he was always within earshot, brought her coffee and quick cuddles and kisses between clients, made her laugh when she was a bit down after a difficult therapy session and had her lay down with her head in his lap and played with her hair when she had a headache. He was amazing. The sweetest. And it was starting to turn her into a recluse.

 

On Friday, however, she had a doctor's appointment and was forced to leave her safe haven for a bit. When she got back to the church shortly before 6 pm, Cassidy was already sitting on the steps in front of the church, waiting for her.

 

“There you are,” Cassidy's face lit up with a happy smile. “I was about to call you. You had me getting worried, luv.”

 

Mika's smile was just as big as his as she walked over to him and crouched between his spread legs, supporting herself on his knees with her elbows. “I didn't think it would take this long.” She angled her head up and kissed him gently, moaning quietly in delight. “Man, it's good to see you. I'm happy you're here.”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Yeah. Wanna feel?” And before Cassidy had finished nodding, he already felt it. Happiness so strong that he couldn't help but smile even bigger, until his face started hurting. It was followed by the familiar feeling of feeling like his heart was going to burst, because he was absolutely crazy about her. Only that these were her feelings for him.

 

_'She feels the same way about me, I feel about her!'_ The emotions which that realization evoked were indescribable. He was so touched, that he was actually getting teary-eyed, and since Mika was able to feel his emotions, she was getting teary-eyed as well. 

 

She closed the connection and placed a big smooch on his lips, before she broke the kiss with a laugh. “Enough with the sappy stuff, before we end up as blubbering messes on the freaking ground.”

 

“Right,” Cassidy laughed and quickly wiped at his eye. “How was the doctor, then? Everything alright?”

 

“Yeah, all good. But three freaking hours of waiting **with** an appointment. And then that disgusting exam. I feel violated,” she joked with a pout.

 

“Aw, I'm sorry, luv. After dinner I'll kiss it and make it all better,” he growled with a suggestive waggle of his eyebrow, “but first, I got you something to cheer you up. I had a feeling you might not feel your best after the doctor. Here you go, lassie.”

 

He pulled a folded sheet of paper out of his back pocket and handed it to her.

 

“What is this?” 

 

Mika slowly unfolded the paper and gasped.

 

“No way!” she laughed happily as she looked at the printed picture. “Janet Jackson's 'Black Cat' poster with the panther. How'd you get that?”

 

“I found it on that Google thing on the phone. I asked Emily how to get it out of the phone and onto the paper and she told me where to go.”

 

“It's awesome, babe. Thank you,” she grinned and kissed him sweetly.

 

“My pleasure, luv. Now you can put it up and know, that I think you're a thousand times sexier and more badass when you wake up in the morning, than Janet Jackson, all made up and snuggling a panther,” Cass explained with a grin. He was proud of himself that he always managed to make her just a liiittle bit happier.

 

Mika just looked at him for a moment, taking all of him in and enjoying having him close, before she slowly shook her head. “You're amazing, Proinsias. Can I keep you?”

 

He grinned even wider and pulled her in for a long kiss. “Told you, luv,” he mumbled between kisses, “You're gonna have to kill me to get rid of me.”

 

“Never gonna happen,” she giggled, only to cry out a moment later, when he got up and swooped her into his arms in one swift movement.

 

“Good. Now let's get you inside. Dinner's ready.”

 

“Dinner? Who made dinner?”

 

“Tulip.”

 

“Oh God no...Vanilla hash browns... God help us.”

 

* * *

Henry had no idea what in the world was happening to him. Why had he left the church on Sunday? He hadn't wanted to, he had struggled, but it was like his mind had gotten forcibly invaded by the thought of him having to leave. It hadn't been Mika's ability, he knew that. This had felt different. This had been Jesse. 

 

And now, days later, he couldn't bring himself to go back there. He wanted to get Mika out of there, but he couldn't. He simply couldn't. 

 

_'What the fuck is happening up there?'_ He kept asking himself over and over and over. The answer unfortunately eluded him. 

 

He couldn't stop thinking about it, his mind was always busy with it, so he barely even noticed, when he ran into another person in front of the bank. 

 

“Excuse me? Could you watch where you're going?” Emily Woodrow's shoulder hurt from the impact and she had dropped her wallet. Needless to say, she wasn't happy.

 

“Sorry,” Henry mumbled absently.

 

“Oh... Henry. Hey,” Emily greeted him, making Henry stop and focus on her.

 

“Emily... sorry, I didn't see you there. I was distracted, I guess. You okay?”

 

“It's alright. It happens. I, umm... I heard about you and Mika splitting up. I'm sorry. She must have lost her mind,” Emily smiled and laughed nervously.

 

“Must have, yeah,” Henry murmured, before he remembered something. “Hey, you're up at the church a lot. Who's that guy that's staying there? Jesse's friend?”

 

“You mean Cassidy?”

 

Henry felt like he had been touched by a live-wire. He was suddenly completely clear and alert. “Cass-... I'm sorry, did you just say Cassidy?”

 

“Yeah. Him and Jesse are mates, that's what they say. He's supposed to help out, but he steals the wine and sleeps all day. At least he used to until Mi- errrm... you know... Now he only helps her out.”

 

Henry's mind was running a mile a minute. An Irish stranger called Cassidy... that couldn't be a coincidence... right?

 

“Emily, when did he show up here?”

 

“I don't know... a couple of weeks back. Oh wait, I remember. The night when Jesse was passed out in the church. You know? When he was out for three days with a fever? Cassidy found him and brought him to his room.”

 

A day after the plane crash. No, that just couldn't be a coincidence. It had to be him.

 

“And his name is Cassidy? Cassidy what? Is that his first or last name?”

 

“I honestly don't know Henry, I'm sorry.”

 

“That's alright, you've been a big help! Thanks Emily!” And with that, Henry suddenly ran off, leaving a confused Emily behind.

 

“You're welcome.”

 

* * *

 

 


	8. Chapter 8

 

 

“Sheriff!”

 

Henry had the attention of every single customer inside the Flavor Station on him, as he burst through the doors, yelling for the local head of police. He didn't realize that he looked like a bit of a maniac, compared to his usual, very put together self. He was unshaven, his hair was a mess and he was panting, sweating and shouting.

 

Sheriff Hugo Root looked unimpressed. “Henry,” he said as he put his napkin down after having wiped his mouth.

 

Henry rushed towards his table and sat down without having been invited to do so. “Sheriff, I need your help.”

 

Sheriff Root looked him over, then nodded slowly. “I heard about Mika leaving you. Are you here to file a complaint? If you are, I'd have to ask you to come to the station later.”

 

“Complaint?” Henry was puzzled.

 

“She lock you out of your own house? Thought she was stayin' with Preacher up at the church?”

 

“She is,” Henry confirmed. “I'm worried about her, Sheriff. Something isn't right at that church. I fear she might not be safe.”

 

Hugo frowned and shook his head. “I saw your wife two days ago, Henry. I took Eugene to see her. She seemed fine and I know you don't wanna hear this, son, but she looked happier than I've ever seen her. Kept smiling the whole time. I don't see any reason, why she wouldn't be safe.”

 

“I'm telling you... Jesse is... he's up to something.”

 

The sheriff sighed. “The preacher ain't no saint, we all know that... just like we all know, that your wife is family to him. I highly doubt that he would do anything to her that would qualify as 'unsafe'. And we also all know that you and Preacher get into it every chance you get...”

 

“That's not what this is about. This guy, who's hanging around the church these days, this Cassidy guy... do you know anything about him?”

 

“Custer's friend? Yes, I had them in lock-up together after the bar fight. He's an asshole, but he's harmless.”

 

“What's his full name?”

 

“Can't really recall. It was something funky, I remember that. Don't matter, though, because it's none of your business.”

 

“Proinsias? Was it Proinsias?”

 

Hugo narrowed his eyes and leaned back in his chair as he studied Henry suspiciously.

 

“Where is this going, Henry?”

 

“If that's his name, then he's an asshole alright, but not harmless. I want Mika out of that church. Please help me.”

 

“And how would you know who he is and why he's supposedly not harmless? You wouldn't have done anything illegal, Henry, would ya? Paid someone off to get some files for you? Look, I can imagine that losing your wife to a punk like that must be a bitter pill to swallow, Mr. Blake-”

 

“That's not what this is about, dammit!” Henry slammed his fist on the table in anger, making the sheriff raise his eyebrows.

 

“Weeell... “ the sheriff sighed as he got up from his chair, “like I said, I saw Mika two days ago, looking anything but scared for her life. I don't see any reason for concern whatsoever. If she feels unsafe, I will listen to a formal complaint, but until then I will not intervene.” Hugo got up from his chair and paid for his meal, before he grabbed his hat and started to walk past Henry. “In the meantime I would advise you to get a grip on yourself, son. It's not the end of the world.”

 

* * *

“Uuh, I know that look by now,” Cassidy smiled as he came in through the back door at the same time Mika entered the kitchen. “Headache, luv?”

 

“Yep. From hell,” Mika sighed and gave him his kiss hello, before she went to fix herself some coffee. “Where have you been?”

 

“Had that young fella cremated. The one that fell off the roof,” Cassidy reported as he took off his shades and hat.

 

Mika, once again, in the back of her head, wondered about his get up, but what he had said distracted her from asking about it. “Oh right... his poor mother contacted me. Wants me to help her through the grieving process... that's gonna be a tough one. We better stock up on booze, 'cause absorbing all that pain and anguish... that's gonna fuck me up all the way to the moon and back.”

 

She leaned against the counter and sipped on her coffee, while Cassidy studied her with narrowed eyes. “Yeah, I've noticed these past couple of days, that you've been seeing a lot of people. Jesse said it was a lot more than you usually take on... It's affecting you... your body... you're paler every day. Get headaches every day now... Why do you do it, luv? Will it make you sick if you keep it up?”

 

“Yes. It sucks up all my energy... Why do you think I eat so much?” she laughed a little. “The exhaustion is not good for my immune system, makes me more prone to illness... it makes my body ache... Don't worry, I won't let it come to that. I know my limits very well. I'm just making some more money for a rainy day. I can't explain why, but I keep having the feeling that I might need it soon.”

 

Cassidy waggled his eyebrows and closed the distance between them. “I can tell you what that feeling is, sweetheart,” he said as he wrapped his arms around her midsection.

 

“Don't say road trip.”

 

“Road Trip. That's what we're gonna need it for.”

 

“We, huh? You gonna be my kept man? Uh, my boy toy?”

 

“You make that sound so dirty, but you know what? I am settled enough in my masculinity to be totally on board with that. Beats working, don't it?”

 

Mika snorted out a laugh. “You're unbelievable.”

 

“Aw, but you love me anyway?” Cassidy was joking, but at the same time, the expression in his eyes was a hopeful one. He really would have loved to hear her say it.

 

Unfortunately, Jesse ruined the moment. “He's driving back and forth again.”

 

Mika looked at him questioningly. “Henry?”

 

Jesse nodded and grabbed himself some coffee.

 

“You know, padre, why don't you just go see him and make him go away for good? Would save all of us some trouble,” Cassidy suggested.

 

“I know, but he's out of here pretty fast every time he sees me coming and I don't have the time to chase him down right now. I have a baptism to prepare, Mrs. Loach wants me to pray with Tracy, Eugene keeps tracking me down, I got community outreach on my schedule,... I need to get more people here on Sunday... hey, lemme ask you. What do you guys think about a raffle?”

 

Mika watched as Jesse kept rambling on and was in awe. He seemed stressed, but in a really good way. He was enthusiastic. He was believing in himself and this made her believe and trust, that maybe, things would turn out alright this time. That he might just stick around after all.

 

“A raffle?” Cassidy asked as he gently pried Mika's coffee mug out of her hands and took a sip, before he gave it back. “Like on the Oprah Winfrey Show when she gives stuff away?”

 

“Not exactly like that. It's not for free,” Jesse replied. “We sell tickets and on Sunday we'll toss 'em all in a bowl and draw the lucky winner.”

 

“And what's the big prize? An autographed bible?” Mika asked, making Cassidy laugh and gently jab her in the ribs with his elbow.

 

“I thought we'd get a TV.”

 

“A TV?”

 

“Yeah. People will come to church for a TV, right? A nice, big flatscreen?”

 

Cassidy smirked and jabbed her again. “Sounds like you were right about needing that extra cash, luv.”

 

Mika scoffed. “Oh hell no. I'm not paying for that!”

 

“Wasn't asking you to,” Jesse quickly explained. “I got it covered. Just don't have time to pick it up. Cass, could you handle it?”

 

“Sorry, padre, but I ain't leaving me girl alone with her stalker out there.”

 

“Yeah, you're right... it's better if you stay put for now.”

 

“Why don't you have Emily do it? Thought she's supposed to help you with that stuff?” Mika asked.

 

“She used to, but she hates your guts, so she's been staying away ever since you've moved in.”

 

Mika laughed with a shake of her head. “Hm, at least now we know that her dislike for me is stronger than her crush on you. Who would've thought?”

 

“Stop, Mika. She's alright. She's just lonely.”

 

“She's fucking the Mayor, she's not that lonely.”

 

“What? No, she's not.”

 

“Errm, yes she is.”

 

“She treats him like shit.”

 

“I know, because she wants to stay available in case you decide you want to hit that after all,” Mika explained. Jesse didn't say anything, so she went on. “Anyways, just give her a smile and a pat on the back and she'll bend over backwards to get that TV for you.”

 

“You're mean today,” Jesse said as he studied her more closely. “You okay?”

 

“Headache,” Cassidy mentioned.

 

“Right,” Jesse nodded and put his coffee mug in the sink, which Mika was standing next to. “You're overdoing it. You look tired. Take a couple of days off soon, alright?” he said before he put his hand on the back of her head and leaned in to give her a kiss on the forehead.

 

“I will. You're not gonna be home for dinner then?”

 

“Nah, probably not. See you guys later, I gotta run.”

 

“Later, padre.” Cassidy looked from Jesse's retreating back to Mika and smiled. “What about you? You done for today?”

 

“No, I have one more client. Eugene's probably gonna be here soon.”

 

“Can't you blow it off?” Cassidy gave her his best version of puppy dog eyes as he pulled her into his arms until she was pressed up against him from chest to toe. “You heard him. We'll be alone...”

 

“I heard, but I won't blow it off. It's only another hour. Ugh, it's gonna be a rough hour, though. With you here...let's just say I have about 158 better ideas on what to do right now.”

 

Cassidy grinned broadly at that. “158? Jesus... good thing Jesse will be gone. You'll have the whole evening to have your way with me.”

 

“If that stupid headache's gone by then. I better take something for that. Hold on.”

 

Mika wanted to move out of his embrace to hunt down her pain killers, but Cassidy didn't let her go. Instead he kissed her and nuzzled her as he moved them backwards. “Did you know that orgasms are natural pain relievers?”

 

“Are they?” Mika laughed. “Hard to imagine since you tense up even more until they happen. I would image that would make the whole thing even worse.”

 

“Want me to show you, luv? Table's right here,” Cass suggested and was already pushing her against the edge of it.

 

Mika giggled and struggled against him. “Cut it out. One more hour, then you can show me as much as you like. Cass!!! Take them out!” Mika laughed and squirmed, because Cassidy had slipped one hand under her blouse and was tickling her left side. “Cass! No! Pronsias! Cut it out now!”

 

But Cassidy didn't stop. Within seconds he had her on the table after all, shrieking and belly-laughing happily as he tickled her mercilessly. At one point he shoved her blouse up and bared her tummy, then he bent his head down and blew raspberries on her belly, making her laugh even louder.

 

“You're such an idiot,” she giggled as he let her come up for air. He pulled her back up by her hands and kissed her lovingly, until the sound of someone clearing their throat made them break apart.

 

“Oh,... Sheriff... Eugene... nice to see you,” Mika smiled sheepishly as she straightened her hair and her clothes.

 

“We knocked, but I reckon you didn't hear us,” the sheriff said as he looked the two of them over with his usual strict expression. “Eugene, why don't you go ahead, I'd like a word with Mika before you start.”

 

Eugene nodded and trotted off into the next room, while Cassidy gave Mika one last kiss before ducking into Jesse's old room, where the two of them were sleeping these days.

 

“I'm sorry Sheriff,... won't happen again,” Mika promised, but Hugo Root shook his head.

 

“No apology necessary... nothing unsavory went on. I just wanted to let you know, that your husband seems to be unraveling.”

 

“Unraveling?”

 

“He looks like he isn't taking care of himself anymore and he keeps rambling on about how you're not safe here, that you're new boyfriend is dangerous, that Preacher is up to something and that you need to get out of here.”

 

Mika sighed and raked a hand through her hair. “Jesus Christ... Well, does it look like I'm in danger to you?”

 

“Nope. Not at all and I told him that, too.”

 

“He approached you?”

 

“He did. Also noticed his car driving by a lot... is he stalking you?”

 

“I don't know. He was here a while back, wanted to talk. When I was done talking and walked away he grabbed me. Jesse and Cassidy saw and Jesse kicked him out. He hasn't come in, but like you said, he keeps driving by, like he's waiting for me to come out... I don't know.”

 

“If you want to file a complaint, just let me know.”

 

“I will, thanks Sheriff, but I hope it won't come to that.”

 

“We'll see.”

 

* * *

Henry was indeed waiting for her to come out of the church. It had been almost two whole weeks since Jesse had forced him out of the church, and from what Henry was able to tell, Mika hadn't left it once. He was going crazy. It was his duty to protect her and now she was living with the thing he was supposed to protect her from. The thing that had killed his father.

 

He had tried to get in touch with her, but she had blocked his number and e-mail. He didn't know what else to do, but to sit and wait for his opportunity to talk to her. Only when she was safe would he contact the V.E.M and have a team sent out to capture the bastard.

 

* * *

The day came, that Mika had to leave the church. She had neglected doing the bookkeeping and accounting for her private practice for a little while, and the thought of everything ending up in chaos kept nagging at her. She had set up a meeting with her financial adviser, because she wanted to talk taxes, since her income was higher than the year before and wanted to know how to proceed.

 

Cassidy wanted to accompany her, but she had declined. She simply wasn't able to focus fully, especially not on crunching numbers and talking tax returns, when he was around. She had insisted that she was able to take care of herself, so after a very, very lengthy discussion, Jesse and Cassidy had let her go.

 

She did feel a little unease as she went to her office for the first time in over three weeks. Actually, for the first time since childhood, she experienced an anxiety attack and had to sit in her car for 20 minutes, trying to just keep breathing as her shortness of breath and the tightness in her chest caused her to feel panicked. She even got dizzy for a moment and felt like crying, all she wanted was to go home and hide out. That wouldn't do her any good, though. Hiding out was the cause of this. For weeks she'd been secluded and had only had to deal with three people and their auras tops at a time. Now she was back outside with many people and many colorful auras, which all seemed to scream for her attention.

 

She hadn't thought of that. Needless to say, she regretted her decision to go alone.

 

_'Stupid Mika. Stupid, stupid Mika,'_ she scolded herself when she was able to breathe easier again.

 

Eventually she forced herself out of her car and got to work, but she decided to call Cassidy to come down and pick her up when she was done at night.

 

After the meeting, which had gone well, she was able to focus on her work, but since she just knew that Henry would show up sooner or later, she wasn't able to relax completely.

 

Henry didn't disappoint.

 

Around lunch time he burst into her office, looking like he hadn't slept in a while, absolutely disheveled and highly agitated.

 

“Mika, you need to come with me right now,” Henry didn't waste a single second on pleasantries. “It's not safe!”

 

Mika sighed deeply. “Yeah, the sheriff mentioned that you're quite worried...”

 

“Mika, I'm not joking around, okay? Cassidy is a vampire! You are quite literally sleeping with the fucking enemy,” Henry shouted at her as he paced in front of her desk.

 

Mika couldn't help it, she burst out laughing. Hard.

 

Actual tears ran down her face as she held her belly, because she was getting cramps. “Really Henry? Seriously?” she pressed out with difficulty. “Oh Christ... that's the best and the lamest thing I have ever heard. Really? That's the best you were able to come up with? My boyfriend is a vampire? Awesome... Phew... thanks for that, I needed that.”

 

“I'm not kidding around, for Christ's sake. Here, look at this.” He slammed a manila folder on her desk. “According to this, Proinsias Cassidy has been around for roughly a 100 years already. Look. His arrest records. 1961, assault and battery in Las Vegas. 1950, lewd and lascivious in Nashville. 1940, armed robbery in San Francisco and 1922 attempted murder in New York City. 1922, Mika!”

 

“What, no pictures?” Mika pouted as she flipped through the folder, making Henry hit her desk with both fists.

 

“Would you stop that? How can you make jokes about this? The evidence is right in front of you,” he yelled at her angrily.

 

“Stop yelling or I'll put the fear of God in you, Henry, I swear,” Mika warned him. “And none of this is evidence. It's amazing work, though. An amazing piece of art from your graphic design guy. This looks really good. Like he did on our marriage certificate and my degree, he did an excellent job on this one, too. I can't wait to see what he'll do with our divorce papers. Which reminds me, call him and get him started on those, will ya?”

 

“I will. You will get your 'divorce', anything you want Mika, but for the love of Christ, please come with me. Those are not fake. You see those newspaper clippings. He robbed a ton of pharmacies, decades ago. He is a monster, Mika. He's the one from the plane. Do you really think it's a coincidence that he shows up at the exact right time that plane crashed right around here? It's him. He jumped from the plane, regenerated and now he is laying low here.”

 

“In a church? Befriending a preacher? Hm, at least this vampire's got a sense of humor, huh?” Mika was still laughing lightly. Henry was making a fool of himself and it was sad and fun to see at the same time.

 

“Mika, please. Proinsias Cassi-”

 

“How'd you even find out his name?”

 

“Because he is the vampire the V.E.M.'s been after for decades. I never told you, but... your boyfriend is the one who killed my father.”

 

Mika laughed out loud. “Ha, right... to top it all off, yeah? Your father died in the hospital and I don't remember you telling me anything about a ripped out neck.”

 

“You know he died from all the injuries those glass shards caused. The glass shards that got stuck in his body, because your vampire boyfriend threw him through a glass wall.”

 

Mika shook her head. “Henry, for real, go home and we'll forget this ever happened. Get the papers and then just leave. I can assure you, that Cassidy is not a vampire. He eats and drinks, he breathes, he uses the bathroom and trust me... the way it smells after, everything is working just fine. What else? Oh yeah, like we've established, he lives in a church, he runs errands outside during the day, he doesn't have any fangs... and so on and so forth. Even if he was a vampire, if he wanted to harm me, wouldn't he have done that by now? He's been here and around me for weeks. And he's obviously not a spy for the Earl, unless the both of them are playing some kind of long game here, which would be quite pointless, I imagine. Doesn't matter. Cassidy is not a vampire. Now go and take your lovely fake folder and get out. There is nothing to save me from.”

 

“No.”

 

“Henry, go.”

 

“No. Not without you.”

 

“Go now, I'm not going to say it again.”

 

“I'm not leaving.”

 

“Oh yes, you are,” Mika said and even while she said it, she opened her mind connected to his. Within seconds Henry was breathing heavily with wide eyes.

 

“No, Mika... please don't. Please. Stop. Please. Oh my God, please, please, please... I can't... I can't breathe...” he was grabbing his chest as he started hyperventilating. Mika had sent him a nice big wave of fear and panic. Maybe too much, because he seemed to be paralyzed by fear.

 

She got up from her chair, making him jump and quickly take a couple of steps back. “Leave, Henry. Right now or I promise you, there's more where this came from.”

 

He ran, leaving the folder and a relieved Mika behind.

 

She needed a moment to breathe. Then she actually had to laugh a little again, when she saw the folder on her desk. She picked it up and skimmed it again, before she threw it into her junk drawer and got her phone out. She called Cassidy, but he didn't pick up. She left a message for him, asking to call her back, then she hung up and went back to work.

 

* * *

Mika hadn't realized how late it had gotten. Only when she had to turn on the lamp on her desk did she realize that it was evening already.

 

She frowned, because she couldn't remember her phone ringing. Had she turned it off? Or was it on mute? Battery dead? She checked her phone, but no, everything was alright. Cassidy simply hadn't called her back. She tried him again, but no luck. She tried Jesse next, but once again, no answer.

 

“Great,” she grumbled. “Guess I have to go home by myself.”

 

But she didn't give up yet. She tried them both again a couple of minutes later, but when they still didn't pick up, she gave Tulip a call.

 

“Hey, T. Where are you?”

 

“I'm in Houston. Why?” Tulip replied. It sounded like she was driving.

 

“Just wondering if you were up for dinner. Hey, have you heard from Jesse in the past couple of hours?”

 

“No. Why do you ask? He in trouble?”

 

“I hope not, but I'm getting a weird feeling. Alright, I'm gonna head home and check out what's going on,” Mika said and started getting ready to leave soon.

 

“Okay. Keep me posted.”

 

“Will do. Bye.” She hung up and put her phone in her purse. “What a great day,” she mumbled to herself. She couldn't wait to get back to the safe confines of the church. She wondered if she should maybe start thinking about working from there permanently. Her clients didn't seem to mind. Most of them were churchgoers anyway and some of them had mentioned that they quite enjoyed having their sessions in the House of God. She decided to talk it over with Jesse as soon as possible. She would pay him for providing the room and she was sure he wouldn't mind the extra income at all.

 

15 minutes later she was in her car and on her way back. She immediately felt herself smiling and relaxing when she drove up the road that led to the church. Almost there. She parked, grabbed her things, got out of the car and went inside.

 

As soon as she had stepped through the church doors, she felt like she had stepped into another dimension.

 

The scent of blood was thick in the air, almost making her gag. Her heart immediately started beating so hard against her ribcage that it hurt. Slowly she made her way inside the nave. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. Her eyes grew so wide that she felt like they were about to pop out of her head.

 

Bodies. Dozen of bodies, as well as various body parts were “decorating” the church. The pews were in disarray and blood was everywhere.

 

Mika had a hard time processing or even understanding what the hell she was seeing right now. She must be dreaming, she hoped.

 

Slowly, she inched forward, step by step, careful not to hit any arms or hands that littered the ground. She quickly froze, when a noise by the front pew caught her attention. She crept closer and noticed an aura. Someone was still alive, but in pain.

 

Mika hoped that it was either Jess or Cassidy. She quickly jumped over the body of a short, bald fellow and took a couple more steps, until she was able to see who was still breathing at the front. But what she saw immediately rooted her to the spot.

 

“Cassidy...” Mika breathed in shock as she saw her boyfriend on his knees, clutching a big wound on his abdomen. With his other arm he was supporting himself on the pew, and on that pew laid a severed arm, with a big gash on the forearm. Cassidy was crouched over that arm, greedily licking and sucking blood out of the gash.

 

When he heard Mika utter his name, he looked up at her with a blood-stained face and wide eyes.

 

“Luv...”

 

Mika's keys and purse fell out of her hands as she stared at him in utter shock. That shock grew even more, when she saw the wound in his abdomen heal itself and push out the bullet until it fell to the blood-soaked floor with a small clanging noise.

 

“Sweetheart... it's alright...” Cassidy tried in his best sweet-talking voice as he held his hands out in front of him, trying to calm her down.

 

Mika couldn't move. She couldn't breathe. She just stared at him, the blood on his face, on his lips... his fangs...

 

Fangs.

 

She couldn't believe it. She wasn't able to think straight. Only one thing kept running through her mind and finally made it past her lips in a whisper.

 

“It's all true...”

* * *

**Thank you for reading:)**

 


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please, if you find the time, respond to the question at the end of the chapter regarding the future of the story.

 

 

Cassidy was sure that he was in hell.

 

D-day had come. It was time for him to pay for all of his countless sins, and boy... would he suffer.

 

Losing Mika would be his punishment for being a selfish, jealous, lying, cheating and fornicating son of a bitch. Losing her would be the punishment for all the lives he had ruined and ultimately ended.

 

The look on her face was killing him already. The disappointment he saw in her eyes hurt way more than a bullet to the gut. Her shock ripped his heart in two. The worst part was, that he had no one else to blame for it but himself.

 

“Vampire, huh?” Mika huffed as she studied him closely.

 

For the first time in his life Cassidy had no idea what to say.

 

“Kristina... I... this...” he used her real name, hoping it would get him somewhere, but it was a futile effort, since his words eluded him and he trailed off.

 

Mika slowly looked around and pointed at the mess around her. “Did you do this?” she asked quietly, her voice astoundingly steady.

 

“Some of it. It's kinda complicated,” Cassidy replied and scratched his head. He slowly got up, but he kept his head slightly bowed, looking rueful like a little boy that had just smashed his mother's favorite vase.

 

“Some of it,” Mika huffed with a humorless laugh. Suddenly she froze again and looked at him warily. “Where's Jesse? Is he... in there?” she pointed at the countless bodies surrounding them.

 

“He's fine. Don't worry, luv. He's got a couple of scratches, but nothing more than that. He'll be back in a bit.”

 

“Jesse did this? With you?”

 

“Mhm...” Cass confirmed.

 

“Did he tell you to do this? With his power?”

 

“He didn't have to.”

 

Mika nodded, then she put both hands in her hair and walked in a circle as she tried to gather her bearings.

 

Cassidy sat down and watched her walk another circle, before she came to a halt and looked him over once more. She shook her head and released another humorless laugh, before she averted her gaze and stared straight ahead at the mess in front of her.

 

“Are those...” she frowned as she looked at the bodies. She carefully took a couple of steps closer and gaped. “What the hell? Those are the same people... That woman... there's like 10 of her... same with the guys. Cassidy, what the fuck is going on?”

 

Cassidy pointed at a body to her right. “That's the guy from your dream. The Wynken, Blynken and Nod-guy. They're here for Padre's power.”

 

“Who are they? Are they like you?”

 

“No. They're angels.”

 

“Angels?!?” Mika saw that he was telling the truth, but she still looked at him like she thought he was losing his mind.

 

“Yeah...”

 

“Angels... great...” she was back to pacing in a circle. “So, just to get caught up, you and Jesse just killed about 30 angels in here?”

 

“We didn't kill the boys. Not this time.”

 

“Not this time?!?!”

 

“They came after me best mate with a bloody chainsaw, what the hell was I supposed to do?” Cassidy defended himself as Mika hid her face in her hands and rubbed her throbbing temples. “They always come back. Can't be killed. Not really.”

 

“Obviously,” Mika sighed as she kept counting the bodies, which seemed impossible with the amount of random body parts littering the pews and the aisle. “Where the hell did Jesse go?”

 

“Him and the guys went back to the motel to hide the woman, so she can't come back. She's some kind of angel warrior and tried to kill the cowboys and Jesse,” Cassidy tried to explain.

 

“Are you fucking high right now?”

 

“Wish I was, I'll be honest. Look, this is true, I know you can see that I'm not lying,” Cassidy's voice rose in volume as he started to get agitated. He was fucking nervous, because he had no idea what was going to happen with Mika from here on out.

 

“I can. Yes. But weirdly enough that somehow makes it even more unbelievable. I mean, seriously... A vampire, an empath and Jesus Christ Superstar Preacher Edition, isn't enough? Two Wynken, Blynken and Nod singing cowboy angels and some warrior angel woman trying to kill each other had to get added to this already pretty ridiculous mix?”

 

“It's just Deblanc,” Cassidy stated.

 

“What?”

 

“It's just Deblanc that sings. At least I think he's Deblanc. The short one there. The other one has some kind of weird affinity to bloody chainsaws.”

 

Mika held up her hand. “Alright, I think I've heard enough for now. I'm gonna get a buck-” she didn't get to finish. The church door flew open and crashed shut again just a second later. Jesse strode in, stopping in his tracks briefly, when he saw Mika standing there. Then he resumed his stride down the aisle, pointing at Cassidy, but looking at her with an angry expression.

 

“Did you know? About him?”

 

“Nope. Just had the pleasure of finding out myself.”

 

Cassidy shot up from his seat, ready to defend himself once more. “Hang on now! You knew. I told you. I told you, like, nine times. It's not my fault that you never believed me, padre.”

 

“Because everything is a joke to you, Cass. Why would I believe you're a vampire?”

 

Mika rolled her eyes. “Because he told you nine times and because of the way he looks when he goes outside?”

 

“Oh yeah? Then why didn't you notice if it was that obvious, Mika?”

 

“Because he didn't tell me nine times, Jesse. He didn't tell me once.”

 

“And you weren't able to tell? Thought you could read people and apparently vampires.”

 

“Because his aura doesn't spell 'vampire' in big blood-red letters. How was I supposed to be able to tell?”

 

“You were able to tell that I was different once my power was inside of me, were you not? I don't know how that shit works, but if you saw that I was different, I would think you'd see it in Cass, too,” Jesse shouted at her and actually shouted over her as she started yelling back while he was still talking.

 

“Exactly! You don't know how it works. You don't know shit!” Mika shouted back, before she had the good sense to take a deep breath and calm herself down. “Okay, you know what? We can't do this right now. We need to get this mess cleaned up.”

 

“Right.” Jesse nodded. “Me and Cass, we take care of the bodies and you can take care of the blood.”

 

“No,” Mika shook her head. “Cassidy can't leave this church.”

 

“It's nighttime. So why the hell not?”

 

“It's alright, luv. You stay here,” Cassidy said.

 

“No. You stay here and get the bloodstains taken care of. I'll go get rid of the bodies with Jesse. I'll explain later, I promise, but right now please trust me, we need to do it this way.”

 

Jesse and Cassidy both looked at her with confused expressions, but after sharing a look between them, they both agreed.

 

“Alright. I'll get changed real quick. Jesse, you can fill me in on all of this on the way and I'll explain what else is going on when we're back and everything is taken care of. Cassidy, don't leave the fucking church, under no circumstances, you hear me?”

 

“Understood.”

 

“Let's hope so,” she mumbled as she made her way into their living quarters, in order to get changed into some old clothes she could burn later.

 

* * *

 

 

“What are we going to do about Cassidy?” Jesse asked as him and Mika were on their way to burn the bodies and body parts.

 

“I really don't want to talk about Cassidy right now, Jesse. Tell me about these angels first. I mean, are they really angels?”

 

“They are. This power that's inside of me, it's called 'Genesis'. According to them, an angel and a demon fell in love and their union created Genesis.”

 

“So it's an angel-demon love child?”

 

“Something like that. Apparently it lives in an old coffee can and those two angels, Fiore and Deblanc are its custodians. A couple of weeks ago it escaped, they don't know why, and they've been tracking it down, trying to get it back. That's why they're here.”

 

“What about that woman?”

 

“A seraph, I think they called it. The way I understand it, Deblanc and Fiore didn't get permission to come here. The woman was sent after them to find them and Genesis. She tried to kill us all. We tried not to kill her, because as soon as these angels die, they come back and the whole thing starts over again. We needed to get her restrained, but it took a while to accomplish that.”

 

“Did it now?” Mika mumbled sarcastically as she looked behind her at the pile of dead angels. “How do you get it out? Genesis?”

 

Jesse snorted. “They put the coffee can on my chest and sing Wynken, Blynken and Nod. That's supposed to draw it back out. Can you believe that?”

 

“I think at this point it's safe to say that I believe pretty much everything,” Mika sighed, before she let out a small incredulous laugh. “How in the world did this become our life?”

 

Jesse shrugged. “All I know is, that my dad told me, that big things were coming for me. I can't help but think, that this is it.”

 

“Meaning, that you are not going to give the angels Genesis back?” Mika guessed.

 

“And Bingo was his name...”

 

* * *

 

Mika vigorously brushed her teeth and rinsed her mouth with mouthwash, after she had thrown up. The day had been a lot and it was far from over. The smell of blood and burning flesh had been a lot to stomach, on top of the whole angel and Cassidy being a vampire business. As soon as she had been back home, she had locked herself in the bathroom and had emptied her stomach's contents into the toilet.

 

When she was no longer able to taste vomit, she stepped into the shower and washed off the traces the clean-up of the angel massacre had caused. She wished she could stay hidden under the spray forever, but it was time to face Jesse and Cassidy.

 

“Okay, story time,” she sighed as she entered the kitchen, where Jesse was seated at the kitchen table, drinking whiskey, while Cassidy was leaning back against the counter with his arms crossed. “Well Jesse, rejoice, for today is the day that you finally learn the whole secret about Henry and why he stayed around all this time.”

 

Jesse frowned. “Really? Today? Why?”

 

Mika nodded. “You'll see.” She sat down on the opposite end of the table, across from Jesse and began to tell her tale. “When Cassidy and I started talking more, I told him that I was born and raised in Russia and that we had to leave when I was nine years old. He took a guess as to why we had to leave and why Henry's been around, ever since my father's death... He guessed, that back in Russia, word about my powers had gotten out and that an immortal Russian czar with designs on world domination started hunting me down to use my powers for his evil purposes and that Henry was sent to protect me, when my father was no longer able to...” Mika looked at Cassidy as she kept speaking. “You were right. Even with the immortal czar part you weren't that far off... It was a vampire.”

 

“Jesus...” Cassidy closed his eyes. This was possibly the worst worst-case-scenario he's ever heard of and he was smack in the middle of it.

 

“Wait,... what? That's why you came here? A vampire was after you?” Jesse asked with a skeptic frown.

 

“Yeah... A very old, very powerful vampire. English dude... they call him the Earl. Heard of him?” she asked Cassidy.

 

“No. Honestly, I've never met someone like me before. And I never heard of an Earl before. Who is he?”

 

“Don't really know. All I know is what I just told you. Old, powerful, English, wants my powers. Killed my whole entire family while looking for me.”

 

Cassidy was sure that this was it. She was never going to let him near her ever again. And who could blame her? He was going to lose everything again. He would have to move on and look for another place to start over. It hurt. Unbearably so.

 

“I'm sorry, luv.”

 

Mika ignored it for the time being and kept telling her story. “We fled Russia, when he was closing in on us. I didn't know about any of this. I didn't know why my dad went to San Francisco when I was 13. Henry was the one who told me what had really been going on. My dad had a lead on the Earl. Heard that he was in America. I guess he wanted to find him before he would find us. The Earl didn't kill him, but Henry said that human followers of his did it for him.”

 

“And Henry was sent here to protect you when your dad was no longer around? He was just a kid,” Jesse said.

 

“I know, but his father had trained him well. Cassidy, the reason you can't leave this church anymore is, because Henry is a vampire hunter, he knows who and what you are and apparently, you killed his father.

 

“Oh shite,” Cass cursed.

 

“So the vampire hunters are real, too?” Jesse asked.

 

“That's right,” Mika nodded. “He belongs to the V.E.M. The Vampire Extinction Movement. His father was a long-time member and brought Henry in after his mother had died.”

 

“V.E.M?” Cassidy asked. “They have a name and everything?”

 

“They do. Henry is with those guys who were on the plane with you, Cass. The one you jumped out of?”

 

“You jumped out of a plane?” Jesse thought he might be dreaming after all. All this in one day simply couldn't be real.

 

“Aye, I had to. They were gonna kill me. I defended myself. Killed them all, the whole crew... there was a fire in the cockpit, there was no other way out other than to jump,” Cassidy shrugged.

 

“Christ... and you survived that? No parachute?”

 

“No... No parachute. I was mush from the head down, though. Needed quite a lot of blood to heal that.”

 

“The cow?” Mika guessed.

 

“And then some,” Cassidy confirmed.

 

“People?” Mika asked.

 

“No. I don't kill if they don't deserve it and I only drink blood if I need to heal. Until today, I haven't had blood in a couple of weeks. It's not like in the movies. That's shite. Sunshine's legit, though. Can't go out without sunscreen and bundling up.”

 

“That explains the outfits,” Jesse sighed and rubbed his tired face. “Henry's a vampire hunter,... that's why you married him, so that he had a reason to stay close and protect you from that Earl guy.”

 

“Exactly, but we're not really married. Marriage certificate was faked by the V.E.M. It's all just a lie.”

 

“At least now it all makes sense,” Jesse said, then he studied Cassidy. “ **TELL ME** , **DO YOU MEAN ANY HARM TO ANY OF US?** ”

 

“Jesse, don't!” Mika chided him.

 

“No,” Cassidy immediately responded. “You, your girl and my panda, you're me best mates, Padre. I think I proved more than once now that I protect you no matter the cost. Even great bodily harm... I can't die from a gunshot, but it still bloody hurts. Didn't keep me from saving you a couple of times tonight alone, did it?”

 

“Yeah, that's true.” Jesse admitted. A moment later he got up from his chair and walked over to Cassidy, who was watching him warily. Jesse stuck his hand out and gave him the hint of a smile. “Thanks, Cass. Wouldn't have survived these past couple of weeks without you.”

 

Cassidy's relief was clearly visible. Some tension drained from his face and he returned the small smile. “You're welcome, padre.”

 

The two shook hands, then Jesse took his tumbler of whiskey from the table, went over to Mika and kissed her forehead. “It's up to you, Mik...” he told her, meaning that it was her decision whether or not Cassidy would be allowed to stick around. Then he left the two of them alone.

 

Cassidy's heart fell. For a moment, he'd had hope that this might still turn out alright. But now? Of course Jesse had left the decision up to Mika... It was the right thing to do. Cassidy knew that, but still, he wished he could just take her to the bedroom and forget that all this had happened.

 

They were silent for a long moment. Mika stared at the top of the table, deep in thought, before she looked at Cassidy again. “Did you hurt Henry's father? 1996 in New York City... a member of the organization tracked you down. Do you remember anything about that? Did you throw the guy through a glass wall?”

 

“After he stabbed me in the chest with a bloody wooden stake I did, yeah. He attacked me. I was at the bar having a drink, minding me own business. I wasn't hurting anybody. Like I told you, I don't crave blood, I don't randomly attack or kill anyone, luv, but if they come for me, trying to kill me, I have every right to defend myself.”

 

“You do, yeah. Nothing wrong with defending yourself. What about 1922... attempted murder. Were you defending yourself against that woman, too?”

 

Cassidy sighed deeply. “No. I lost my head there. I was young and stupid and out of control. Never happened again after that.” Then he frowned and looked at her in confusion. “Hang on... how do you know about that?”

 

“Henry came by today. Told me my boyfriend was the vampire the V.E.M had been looking for all along and brought along a file of your arrest records as proof. I laughed in his face, of course... man, he's gonna have a field day when he hears about this...”

 

Another round of silence followed, then Cassidy wasn't able to stand the uncertainty anymore.

 

“Want me to leave, then?” he asked as he tensed every muscle in his body, in order to brace himself for her reply.

 

“I can't think straight right now. I need to sleep.”

 

And without another word or another look at him, she left the kitchen and went to their bedroom, leaving Cassidy rotting in his own personal hell full of uncertainty for a while longer.

 

* * *

 

 

The sleep she so desperately wanted and needed eluded her. Her mind simply wasn't able to power down and she kept tossing and turning for hours. Also, she was no longer used to sleeping without Cassidy.

 

However, this time alone in bed also had its upside. She felt better, her nerves were less frazzled and her mind felt less muddled. She made good use of the time during which she found herself unable to sleep and tried to analyze her feelings about the whole Cassidy thing.

 

Around 6 AM in the morning she had to use the bathroom. When she was about to head back to bed, she heard a noise coming from the common room. On bare feet she quietly walked over there and spotted Cassidy sitting in the middle of the couch, with the window right behind him. The early morning light started trickling in, letting her see that he was still covered in blood from head to toe. He was also gripping a bottle of whiskey between his hands.

 

Sadness, guilt and anxiety were the only emotions she spotted in his aura, which made her heart hurt something awful.

 

He didn't look up at her, when she approached him, not even when she stood between his spread legs right in front of him.

 

Mika threaded the fingers of her right hand through the wild mop of hair at the top of his head and moved his head back, so that he was forced to look at her.

 

“Why did you tell Jesse and not me?”

 

“I'm a selfish bastard, luv. Didn't wanna lose you, before I even had the chance to have ya.”

 

“I get that, Cass... but then you had me... you had my trust. Why didn't I have yours?” She had been wondering about that for the past couple of hours. What had she done wrong, that he hadn't trusted her enough to share who he really was with her? Had she not shown him enough how important he was to her by now? Had she not shown him enough acceptance? Had she not given enough? She was truly puzzled by it.

 

“I trust you, I truly do. With my life.”

 

“But not with who you really are.”

 

“We were happy. I was happy. I didn't want to ruin it, I reckon... Selfish, like I said.”

 

“That's alright. I'm selfish, too. I don't hold it against you...” Mika sighed and shook her head as she realized something. “Shit... I can't really hold anything against you. Not even the not trusting me enough thing. We'll never know for sure, but I might haven't told you either, had I been in your shoes,” she admitted. “If you have something really good in your life, for the first time ever, you don't ruin it, you hold on to it for as long as you can, trying not to cause even the slightest bump in the road, right?”

 

Hope bloomed up inside of Cassidy at her words. His eyes went from sad to hopeful as well and he started to relax. He let go of the bottle in his hands and slowly and tentatively let his fingers touch her bare legs. Upon touching her soft skin, his own skin started tingling and a feeling of warmth started to spread from his fingertips throughout his hands and moved up his arms.

 

When Mika didn't move or push him away, he traced his hands up her legs, from her knees up to mid-thigh, until he met the fabric of her black jersey sleep shorts. He gently squeezed the flesh in his hands and dared breathing a sigh of relief. However, that sigh got stuck in his throat pretty quickly, when Mika went on.

 

“I get all that. I really do, Cass, **but**...”

 

He froze. “But?”

 

“But there is one thing, that really, **really** pisses me off here,” Mika told him, and before Cassidy knew what was happening, his head violently snapped to the side as a sharp pain exploded in the left side of his face and blood filled his mouth. “That's for making me have to apologize to Henry... which is pretty much the only thing I'm mad at you for.”

 

“I deserved that,” Cassidy groaned as he straightened and gingerly moved his jaw. “Shite, you're a strong one, lassie.”

 

Mika gripped his jaw in her right hand and made him look up at her again. “Don't make me do it again. Ever. Okay?”

 

“Not ever.”

 

“Good. Now come here...” Mika bent down and pressed her lips against his, finally releasing Cassidy from the hell he'd been caught in for hours. He groaned and quickly grabbed her by the hips, pulling her on top of him to straddle his lap.

 

Mika slipped her tongue into his mouth, startling for a second, when she tasted fresh, warm blood. His blood. After the day she'd had it definitely should have grossed her out, for a short moment she was sure it would, but much to her shock, tasting him caused an immediate and utterly unexpected strong reaction between her legs. Her core was pulsing and she was pretty sure she had gotten wet in an instant.

 

She wanted more. Much more. She gripped the back of his head and grunted into his mouth as she kissed him deeply and hungrily. Cassidy crushed her to him, one hand on her bottom and one gripping the back of her head, like she was doing to him, making sure that she wasn't going anywhere while he kissed her back feverishly.

 

It took a good long moment for Mika to register the alarm bells going off in the back of her head, reminding her that it might not be the best idea to ingest her vampire lover's blood. She broke the kiss and had trouble keeping Cassidy at bay. He kept chasing her lips, unwilling to let go just yet.

 

“Cass, look at me,” she demanded as she gripped his face between her hands.

 

Cassidy stopped fighting her and did as he was told, but the second he truly looked at her, he was a goner once again. Fucking hell, her lips were stained with his blood. She looked divine and he was absolutely mesmerized by the sight of her.

 

“Is drinking your blood going to do anything to me?” she asked, still panting slightly from their kiss. He didn't answer, he just kept staring at her lips. “Cass!”

 

He blinked and lightly shook his head. “Sorry,... Sorry. What?”

 

“Drinking your blood, is that going to do anything to me?”

 

“No. Not as far as I know. You're not gonna turn, if that's what you're worried about, luv.”

 

“That's good enough for now,” she smiled and leaned back in to kiss him, until she noticed how exhausted he looked under all the blood and grime. She tenderly brushed her fingertips along his forehead, swiping a dirty strand of hair away from it before she gave him a sweet little peck on the lips. “You reek, baby,” she smiled gently, “and you're still covered in blood. Let's get you in the shower, yeah?”

 

“Okay,” Cassidy nodded and let her climb off his lap.

 

Mika took his long-fingered hand in her much smaller one and gently pulled him up from the couch. She led him into the bathroom and locked the door behind them before she turned on the hot water in the shower.

 

She turned back to face him and slowly pushed up his shirt. In the places it hadn't been torn, it stuck to his skin with all the dried blood that coated the fabric as well as his entire body. Mika tossed his shirt on the pile of her own clothes from earlier. She'd get rid of all of it later, because clothes-wise, nothing from last night was salvageable.

 

She unfastened his pants next and accompanied them on their way down to the floor. She knelt in front of him, unlaced his boots and helped him out of those, as well as his pants and his socks. All of it landed in the corner before she quickly undressed herself.

 

“Come on,” she smiled and gently pushed him into the shower and under the hot spray.

 

Cassidy closed his eyes and tilted his head back, letting the hot water wash over him. Now that things with Mika seemed settled, he felt relief like he'd never experienced before, but with the tension and anxiety leaving him, he suddenly felt utterly tired and emotional, too.

 

Mika carefully tried to balance on the tip of her toes as she reached up to gently rub her fingers over his face. Just like Tulip she wasn't overly tall, and without heels she only reached up to Cassidy's shoulders, so cleaning his face wasn't the easiest task right now. She knew though, that he needed to zone out for a minute, so she let him be and didn't ask him to crouch down or look at her.

 

Cassidy felt himself start to really relax. He had felt so damned cold earlier, not even the whiskey had managed to warm him up from the inside. The hot water felt amazing, but what truly made his body warm up again, was the feeling of Mika's hands on him and the way she was taking her time with him, instead of hurriedly scrubbing him down.

 

He couldn't believe that she had forgiven him... that she was okay with what he was after a vampire had killed her family and had made her have to leave her home. He couldn't believe that, instead of choking him, she made sure not to use too much pressure as she gently massaged the bloodstains from his neck with her thumbs, so he wouldn't be uncomfortable. The care she showed him made him choke up. He felt tears stinging behind his closed eyelids, but he tried to keep it together. He wasn't willing to have her stop what she was doing.

 

However, she was not making it easy for him not to break down. Ever so gently, he felt her hands wash his shoulders, then his chest, belly and sides, before she took care of his arms. Even every single one of his fingers received her tender attention one by one.

 

“Turn around, baby,” she cooed as she slowly guided him until his back was facing her.

 

Cassidy sighed deeply and let his chin fall down to his chest as he felt Mika's nails crawling through the short hairs at the back of his head and the nape of his neck. It felt so good, he had goosebumps all over his body. Her hands unhurriedly traveled along his back and butt while she placed little kisses on every little bump of his spine until she was able to kneel behind him and take care of his legs. She even kissed the back of his thighs, once the blood was gone, making sure to not only shower him with water, but with love as well. He could not remember anyone ever having cared for him this much. Not in his adult and vampire life.

 

That was the moment when Cassidy wasn't able to hold it in anymore. He shuddered and a small sob wracked his body, quickly followed by another.

 

“I'm sorry, luv...” he sniffed. “A half hour ago I thought it was all over and now... you're doing this.”

 

Mika quickly got up and hugged him from behind, as hard as she could manage. “It's okay. Shhhhh, it's alright. It was a rough day.” She pressed long, tender kisses against his back, as Cassidy kept shaking from his crying.

 

“You're not real. You can't be. You're not. There's just no way.”

 

“I'm very real, Cass and just as flawed as the rest of us. We're all made from broken parts. Each and every one of us.”

 

“Not you, luv. I'll never believe it. Shite, I love you, Kristina. I really do. I know you don't want to hear that, but **I** want you to hear it, alright?”

 

“I hear you loud and clear, Cassidy. I hear you every morning when the first thing I see is your smile. I hear you every time you bring me coffee and make sure that the exact right amount of creamer is in it, because I'm a control freak and only pour coffee into my mug with the stars on it until it reaches the bottom tip of the upper star, because that is the only way it tastes just right. I hear you every time you don't speak when you know I have a headache. And I hear you every time you make me laugh... not to mention the times you give me a hug or a kiss, just because.”

 

“Don't fool yourself... that's just 'cause I cannot keep me bloody hands off of ya,” he joked, even though he was still sniffling.

 

Mika laughed and hugged him even tighter. “Maybe so, but hey, it's the same for me... I... I love you, too, Cass.” It took everything for her to admit it out loud. She had never dared tell anyone she loved them. Also, she had never been in love before, so this was nerve-wracking, even though she knew he felt the same way. “I did before I knew who you really were and I still do now. Nothing's changed.”

 

Cassidy wanted to turn around and crush her to him so badly, but he couldn't move. She loved him. She fucking loved **him**. Fucked up, lying, vampire him. Yeah, he'd felt it before, but hearing her say it out loud for the first time, after this hell of a night, it broke him. It broke him in the best way possible, sure, but he was still unable to do anything, but lean his forehead against the shower tiles and let the tears run freely down his cheeks.

 

Mika felt that he was happy, but overwhelmed, so she fell silent and continued to be there for him. She held him up from behind, rested her cheek against his back and let him cry quietly for as long as he needed to.

 

* * *

 

It took a while, but eventually, Cassidy turned around to face her, looking more like himself again.

 

“There you are,” she smiled broadly and went up on her tip-toes to accept a long, deep kiss from him. “Feeling better?” she asked as he broke the kiss.

 

“Much better,” he replied and watched her gaze fall down to his belly.

 

“What about this?” she put her fingertips to the spot where she had seen the gunshot wound earlier.

 

“All good.”

 

“It doesn't hurt?”

 

“No. It wasn't that bad. That stuff heals pretty quickly with small amounts of blood,” he reassured her.

 

“But you really don't 'need' blood to keep things going?”

 

“I don't. Only to heal, like I said.”

 

Mika nodded and bit her lip as she stared at the now unmarred skin deep in thought. She knew they had so many serious things to talk about, but she decided that it could wait until they had slept. Their problems would wait for them for another 10-12 hours for sure.

 

“Alright,” she looked back up at him and handed him the shampoo bottle. “Here, wash your hair, babe. I got one more thing to take care of.”

 

“What's that?” Cassidy frowned, but that frown quickly morphed into a very excited expression, when Mika went down on her knees in front of him.

 

“I'm pretty sure you can guess,” she winked at him before she touched her mouth to his thigh and started kissing her way upwards.

 

“I knew you'd missed a spot there earlier,” he grinned just a second before she sucked one of his balls into her mouth and gently massaged it with her tongue, making him groan loudly. “Holyyyy shite, luv... oh damn... that's the good stuff,” he grunted and laughed happily while she used her mouth on him.

 

She kept sucking as she pulled her head back, releasing him from between her lips with a wet plopping sound, that was accompanied by Cassidy's sexy growl. He had forgotten all about washing his hair. The shampoo bottle fell out of his hand while Mika raked her nails along the inside of his thighs at the same time as she moved her tongue along his swollen cock in slow, long licks. Her tongue swirled around his pulsing tip and flicked up against his frenulum, quickly working him into a frenzy, before she finally sucked him into her mouth.

 

“Jesus...” Cassidy panted as his hands slid along the cool tiles, seeking purchase, when Mika found her rhythm, sucking on his tip and working his hard shaft and his balls with her warm hands. She moaned around him, loving the sounds she was able to draw from him, loving how she was able to make him twitch and shudder with pleasure. “I'm there, luv,” he warned her, and when Mika didn't pull away, he tightly gripped her hair and let go, releasing a string of grunts and groans, interspersed with expletives as he rode out his climax.

 

Mika gently freed herself from his grip and picked up the shampoo before she slowly got back up.

 

Cassidy grabbed her and kissed her hungrily when she was back on her feet. “Bed. Now,” he ordered between kisses.

 

Mika giggled and pushed the shampoo bottle into his hand. “Nope. You gotta wash your hair first. Come on.”

 

“Fine,” he grumbled slightly, but his mood didn't darken too much, since Mika quickly washed the rest of his body with his shower gel once more, while he was busy with his hair. Feeling her touching him all over was never a bad thing.

 

As soon as he was clean from top to bottom, he didn't waste any time getting her out of the bathroom and into the bedroom. Mika giggled endlessly as Cassidy impatiently more or less slapped them both dry with the towel. Then he had enough sense to at least wrap her in the towel before he carried her to their room. He stayed butt-naked, not caring about possibly running into Jesse.

 

The preacher was fast asleep though and they made it into their bedroom without being seen.

 

By the time he had Mika on the bed and was kissing her thoroughly, he was already hard again. “I guess I can stop worrying about you possibly overdosing on Viagra now, huh?”

 

“Told you I never touched those. All natural, luv.”

 

“One of the perks of being a vampire, yeah?”

 

“Apart from the healing thing, it's pretty much the only perk. Now hush, I'm trying to work here, sweetheart.”

 

“Don't worry, you're doing a fantastic job,” Mika moaned as he teased her clit with soft, long strokes up and down, then a couple of tight, little circles, before he slipped two of his long digits inside of her, thrusting gently for a moment, before he pulled them back out and let his wet fingertips caress the small bundle of nerves again.

 

“Ready for me, luv?” he smiled down at her when she started squirming under him.

 

“Always.”

 

Cassidy kissed her sweetly and positioned himself between her legs. Slowly he pushed his straining erection into her tight heat inch by inch, groaning when he felt her wet, velvety walls engulf him. When he was buried inside of her all the way, he pushed his tattooed arms underneath her lithe form, gathering her up in his arms and holding her as close as he possibly could. Mika wrapped her arms and legs around him, caressing his skin everywhere she was able to reach and hugging him back until they were as close as two people possibly could be. Cassidy rested his forehead against hers and looked into her eyes as he thrust in and out of her with slow but deep strokes.

 

“I really fucking love you, luv,” he whispered.

 

“Me, too,” Mika smiled. “I really love you, too.”

 

Cassidy let out a happy little laugh, then he quickly kissed Mika, before he would get too emotional and start bawling again. He let his tongue slip into her mouth and gently played with hers, but their kiss quickly went from emotional and deep to hungry and heated. Cassidy sped up his thrusts, making his lady groan into the kiss.

 

She soon tore her mouth away from his and grabbed his ass with both hands. “Harder,” she demanded and Cassidy was happy to oblige. He pumped into her harder and harder, faster and faster, grunting, growling and whimpering in the process as he neared his second orgasm of the night.

 

Mika was there first. She called out his name and dug her nails into the flesh of his butt as her body contracted rhythmically around his length, triggering his own climax.

 

Entirely spent, Cassidy half-collapsed on top of her. He sloppily kissed her neck and snuggled his face into the crook of it as his body started to cool down. Mika was already out cold. She didn't even feel him rolling off of her anymore, so he wouldn't accidentally crush her in his sleep. Barely conscious himself, he quickly grabbed the covers and covered them both, before he joined her in a deep and peaceful sleep.

 

* * *

 

They didn't sleep long, because Jesse was making a ruckus around the house. Mika figured it was probably for the better, because this way her rhythm wouldn't get screwed up. She had already canceled all appointments late last night, so it didn't matter how tired she would be today. They could just hang out in bed and watch Netflix or something.

 

Mika yawned and stretched before she turned around to face Cassidy, who she found smiling sleepily at her.

 

“Good morning,” she smiled quietly as she reached over and played with a curly lock of his hair.

 

“More like 'good noon',” Cassidy replied with a chuckle.

 

“Yeah,” Mika murmured absently as she kept playing with his hair. Her worries were wasting no time catching up with her. She tried to distract herself and opened her mind, letting it connect with Cassidy's.

 

“Mmm, hello...” he sent her a serene smile. He loved when she connected with him, because it always made him feel complete, for lack of a better word. He often missed it during the day when she kept her mind closed off, so these truly were some of his favorite moments with her.

 

Mika sent him her love and all the joy she felt from being with him, trying to focus on the good things, but this time, she wasn't able to blend out everything else that was going on.

 

_'You're not safe here anymore, my love,'_ she thought with an internal sigh.

 

_'I know, luv, but I'm not leaving. Not without you.'_

 

Mika nodded, thinking about his words until, all of a sudden, both their eyes widened in shock, both of them realizing at the same time, that something hadn't been right. They had heard each other, but neither one of them had actually, actively talked, like, with their voices.

 

_'Cassidy?'_ she tried again and it sounded just as incredulous in his head as it did inside her own.

 

_'I hear you, luv. Loud and clear.'_

 

_'Holy shit!'_

 

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Would you like the gang to hit New Orleans and Angelville? Someone asked about it and I'm sure I could make it work if you are interested. So please, let me know if you are indeed interested in reading more.


	10. Chapter 10

Mika cut the connection between hers and Cassidy's mind so hastily, that to Cassidy it felt like she was forcefully slamming a door shut.

 

“No, no... don't, luv... come on!” He winced visibly and felt the loss of their connection even deeper than usual. He felt cold and lonely, even though she was still right next to him. He snuggled deeper under the covers and searched for her hand with his.

 

“What the fuck was that?” Mika's eyes were still wide with shock.

 

Cassidy found her hand and intertwined their fingers as he shifted his body to be closer to her. “Now, there's two possible explanations here,” he sighed. “Number one, we did declare our love for each other, meaning that we're closer now and it makes you open up to me more and that makes us able to communicate with each other inside our heads.”

 

“Well, since this isn't a Disney movie, Cass, there's actually only one possible explanation... Your blood.”

 

“My blood.” They said it at the same time.

 

“Okay,” Mika said and took a deep breath, trying to collect her thoughts, “question is, is this a 'your blood'-thing or a 'vampire blood'-thing.”

 

“How do you mean?”

 

“I mean, am I only able to do it with you, because I ingested some of your blood and it established some kind of connection with my abilities and all that, or is it a vampire blood thing and it's giving me the general ability to do this with anyone? You know what I mean? If I wanted to communicate with Tulip like that, would I have to have some of her blood? If I wanted to do this with Jesse, would I have to have some of his blood? Or do I only need your blood to do this with all of you?”

 

“Yeah, alright, I see what you mean,” Cassidy said with his brows furrowed in displeasure. He very much disliked the idea of her being able to do this with anyone else. He wanted this to be special. A special thing they were only able to share between the two of them. “Only one way to find out, luv... But not now, alright?” he quickly added, when she made a move to get out of bed. He gripped her hand tighter and quickly rolled himself half on top of her. “Let's try again. Maybe it was just a freak thing.”

 

“I'm not sure I want to try again. This just freaked me the fuck out.”

 

“It's not that bad. Could be quite useful, don't you think? Communicating without anyone else knowing? We should practice.”

 

“I don't know.”

 

“Come on... Do it again. Let's just try.” Cassidy knew he was being selfish by coaxing her into connecting with him again, but he was craving their connection like crazy. He blamed it on his addictive personality. He needed her, it was as simple as that, and that thing just now had felt amazing to him and he wanted more. A lot more.

 

“Fine,” Mika relented, too tired to fight him on it after just about three hours of sleep. She relaxed and got comfy again, then she opened her mind and connected with him. She gasped lightly at the force of the connection. With Cassidy it always felt like his mind was hovering right in front of her, anxiously waiting, and then as soon as she opened up, his mind latched onto hers almost hungrily and greedily. “Christ, Cass... where did all that anxiety come from? It's only been two minutes...”

 

“I don't like it when you shut me out.”

 

“I don't shut you out. When do I shut you out?”

 

“You did it just now. When you closed off like that. It makes me feel like shite, to be honest, luv.”

 

Mika frowned. That was the first time she'd ever heard about that. “What? Like always? Every time I cut the connection?”

 

“Yeah, right from the start. It wasn't that bad at first, but it gets worse every day... I just bloody miss you, when you shut me out, luv. It feels like a spot in my head's suddenly empty and cold,” Cassidy explained, trying to act nonchalant by giving a casual shrug, but Mika felt that it hurt him, since they were connected right that moment.

 

“I'm sorry, baby... I didn't know. Why didn't you ever say anything?”

 

“I don't know. I'm a damn mystery to myself sometimes.”

 

 _'Is this better?'_ she asked in her thoughts, holding her breath as she waited for a response.

 

_'Yes! Shite, luv... you have no idea how good this feels.'_

 

Mika knew exactly how good it felt for him. She felt it through their connection. She felt it even more when Cassidy relaxed into her embrace. He rested his head on her chest and took a deep, relieved breath as he closed his eyes.

 

She wrapped her arms around him and gently played with his hair. _'Are you getting high on this?'_

 

_'I'm getting high on you... Do you think it's possible to do this all the time?'_

 

_'What do you mean, Cass?'_

 

_'Is there a way you could stay connected to me all the time? No one else, just me.'_

 

_'You mean continue to block out everyone else and only let you in 24/7?'_

 

_'That's exactly what I mean. Do you think you could do it, luv?'_

 

_'I honestly don't know. I've never tried opening up to just one person when others were around. I really don't know if it would work. Or how that would even work.'_

 

_'Could you try? For me?'_

 

_'I'll think about it, but I can't make any promises, baby.'_

 

_'We can start practicing today. With Jesse around, you can try to block him and keep letting me in.'_

 

_'We'll see, Cass. I'm really tired today. Not to mention worried about what Henry and his buddies are going to do... Just relax for now, okay?'_

 

 _'Fine,'_ she heard him inside her head.

 

Among a lot of other things, he was slightly pissed. Because she felt everything he was feeling and got the big picture of why he was a bit angry, she understood him perfectly,... once again, she might have felt the same, if the roles would be reversed, but he needed to understand, that he was asking a bit too much right now. Especially after a night like this and after this little telepathy-discovery. She needed time to sort through everything. He still had no idea how taxing her abilities were.

 

As soon as Cass had fallen back asleep, Mika closed their connection. She felt guilty, but she needed her head for herself for a bit. She was overwhelmed. They had never put a label on it, but she felt confident in saying, that she was in a relationship with Cassidy. They loved each other and they were living together. She would die for him. She would kill for him. If that didn't qualify as a relationship, Mika didn't know what would.

 

She truly would do anything for him and that was a bit of a problem for her right now. She wanted him to feel good and happy and loved all the time. She wanted to give him everything he wanted and needed... but she had stopped taking care of her own needs in the process. That's why she was pretty much living off of ibuprofen these days. She needed her quiet time to ground herself and to relax and find her way back to herself. She was absorbing so many emotions from so many different people, that sometimes it was hard to find back to her own.

 

And now with Cassidy and always making sure that he didn't feel lonely... She loved doing it for him, she absolutely did, because she wanted to make him as happy as he made her, but that didn't mean, that it didn't take a toll on her.

 

Instead of increasing their 'connection time', she was actually thinking about cutting back on it a bit. She needed to get back to doing her yoga and breathing exercises and to take the time she needed to be completely on her own with no one else around.

 

She sighed deeply as she thought about his possible reaction to that. He would be hurt for sure. He wanted more, she wanted less... for now. He would feel rejected and it would kill her, but she hoped that he would understand that it would only be temporary. She needed to give her body and mind a good rest before she would attempt letting him in on a permanent basis, while still shutting out everybody else. She wanted to try, definitely, just not right away.

 

* * *

 

“What's that?” Mika asked as she came into the kitchen and saw Jesse staring at some weird contraption on the table.

 

“It's a phone.”

 

“A phone?”

 

“It belongs to those angels. The seraph had one, too. It's a direct line to Heaven.”

 

Mika stopped short and stared at him with wide eyes. “For real?”

 

“It would appear so,” Jesse nodded.

 

She narrowed her eyes and looked back and forth between the phone and Jesse. “Good Lord, you're not seriously thinking about using that, are you?”

 

“Why wouldn't I use it? I'm going to call God, Mika. If he wants Genesis back, he can tell me in person.”

 

 _'You, Jesse Custer, have absolutely, once and for all, lost your marbles,'_ Mika thought while she looked at him with raised eyebrows. She decided in that moment, that she wanted absolutely nothing to do with that. It was time for her to get out of there as soon as possible.

 

“Well, before you go ahead and chat God up on your little angel phone, I need your help,” Mika told him as she finally went to grab herself some coffee.

 

“What is it?” the preacher asked. His curiosity was piqued, because Mika very rarely needed his help with anything.

 

Mika looked back towards her room, where Cass was fast asleep, before she looked at Jesse and motioned towards the door with her head. “Outside?”

 

Jesse nodded and packed up and hid his phone before he poured himself some fresh coffee and joined Mika outside.

 

They set up two folding chairs behind the large tree and sat down, quietly drinking their coffee for a minute, before Mika addressed him.

 

“I need your help with two things, actually.”

 

“Okay, shoot.”

 

“First off, Cassidy and I, we're good. I'm okay with him being a vampire. We talked... but at one point I punched him and then I kissed him. I swallowed some of his blood and this morning, after we woke up, he was able to hear my thoughts in his head and vice versa.”

 

Jesse almost spit out his coffee. Then his head whipped around to look at her so fast, Mika thought he might have given himself whiplash. “Are you kidding me?”

 

“I wish I was, but no. I let my mind reach out to his, we do that frequently, because he enjoys it, and I thought about him no longer being safe here, and he heard it and in my head, he told me, that he knew that... We had an actual conversation without talking. It was kinda freaky,” Mika explained.

 

“Christ...” Jesse murmured as he kept staring at her in surprise.

 

“Right. I keep wondering, if it was his vampire blood that's enabling me to receive and send thoughts now as well or if drinking his blood just strengthened our bond and that's why we're able to do it. I would like your permission to connect to you, Jess. I just wanna know if I can do it with everybody or if I can only do it with him.”

 

“You know I'm not comfortable having you in my head, Mika.”

 

“I promise I won't dig around in there. Just think of a number or something. I just need to know how it works. Please Jesse.”

 

Jesse sighed deeply. “Fine. Go ahead.”

 

“Thanks,” Mika said while she already flipped her switch and let her mind touch his.

 

 _'Your birthday's in January. You're an Aquarius,'_ Jesse thought over and over in a loop.

 

_'That's right, Jess, but do you also know the exact date?'_

 

“Fuck!” Jesse exclaimed as he heard Mika's voice in his head. It was the weirdest feeling. Freaky had been right.

 

Mika quickly shut down and sighed. “Great... so it's everybody.”

 

Jesse nodded and studied her, as the two fell silent for a long moment. “You're not happy about it?” he eventually asked her.

 

“I honestly don't know, Jesse. I need time to think about it, but I don't have time to think about it, because there are way more important things to worry about.”

 

“Such as?”

 

“Henry. And Cassidy. We need to get Cassidy out of here, Jesse. Today. It's just not safe for him anymore. And it's not exactly safe for us, either, as long as he's around. What if they want to get him once and for all and they burn the church down while we're all asleep?”

 

“Come on, Mika. Henry's a douchebag, but he was sent here to protect you, not to kill you.”

 

“He's not calling the shots, though. They let Cassidy get away too many times. Somehow I get the feeling, that this time, they'll do whatever it takes. He needs to leave, and then you and me, we're going to pay Henry a visit...”

 

Cassidy had heard enough. Enough to have his heart broken into a million little pieces. Mika was trying to get rid of him. Today. And she didn't even have the balls to talk to him about it, no, she was plotting behind his back with Jesse.

 

In that moment, he felt so betrayed and angry, that he didn't realize that she was doing it, because she wanted to keep him safe, first and foremost. The only thing he heard was, that she didn't feel safe with him around. Unable to think rationally through his hurt and anger, Cassidy turned on his heels and stormed back inside. Mika wanted him gone? Well, it was her lucky day, then.

 

* * *

 

Henry had been down at the Flavor Station all morning already, filling up on food and coffee, after he had been wasting away with worry for the past couple of weeks. Somehow, Mika fucking with his head had helped him pull himself together again. It was almost as if she had hit the reset-button inside his head, which of course wasn't possible, but he'd realized some things and it had helped him gain more clarity and feel more like himself again.

 

“One more?” Emily Woodrow asked as she came to his table with a carafe full of freshly brewed coffee.

 

“Yeah, thanks, Emily,” Henry said absently, when he suddenly smelled an opportunity. He gave her his most charming smile as he looked up at her. “Hey um, do you have a couple of minutes? Would you join me for a cup?”

 

“Oh... uh...” Emily seemed flustered as she looked around a little helplessly, but eventually she nodded and quickly sat down opposite from him. “Sure... thanks,” she smiled at him.

 

“Look...” Henry started, “I just wanted to pick your brain a little, I guess.”

 

“My brain?” Emily looked as confused as she sounded.

 

“About that Cassidy guy,” Henry elaborated and watched Emily deflate a little. “I mean, I've accepted that Mika's moved on and that she's with him. I'm alright... I'm ready to let go, but I just want to make sure, that she's okay... that he's treating her right, you know?”

 

“Oh... yeah... that's understandable, I guess,” Emily was visibly disappointed in his choice of topic, but much to Henry's joy, she stayed put.

 

“So, what's he like? He looks... well...”

 

Emily let out a small laugh. “Yeah, he looks crazy. Cassidy is... well, he's very talkative. He has an opinion on everything, it seems like...”

 

“Has he ever attacked anyone?”

 

Emily looked at him in surprise. “Attacked anyone? No... not at all. Why would he? I mean, he helped himself to some communion wine, he likes to sleep a lot and he always asks for an advance, but he's actually... and I can't believe I'm saying this, but...”

 

“What?” Henry asked curiously.

 

“He's actually... nice.”

 

“Nice?” Henry honestly wasn't sure he'd heard her right.

 

“Yes. I'm not super fond of him, but still, he is quite friendly, to be honest. Always smiling. He's very direct, sarcastic, too, but I've never experienced him to be outright rude. He's lazy where work is concerned, but otherwise, he's always there for his friends. He took care of Jesse when he was passed out for three days straight. And with Mika...” Emily hesitated, but Henry encouraged her to go on.

 

“It's okay, I need to know. No matter how much you think it might hurt me,... I can take it. Just tell me the truth.”

 

Emily nodded and seemed to take a deep breath and brace herself, like she was expecting him to blow up at her for what she was about to tell him.

 

“He's crazy about her, Henry. He's smitten. He's head over heels in love with her. I'm a woman, I can tell if it's the real deal and I'm sure it's the real deal for them. The way not just his face lights up when he sees her, but, like... his entire being? He's floating on air around her. My dislike for him aside, he is really sweet with her. He's downright doting on her, always making sure that she has everything she needs...” Emily started to get a faraway look in her eyes and seemed like she was starting to talk to herself instead of to Henry as she went on. “And these cute little things he does for her, like looking up posters she had as a teenager and printing them out in town, just to cheer her up... you just know he'd do anything for her. And it's the same for her. The way she looks at him... I hate admitting it, but seeing them together..., you can feel what they mean to each other, and it's a lot. The way he touches her... like she's the most precious being in the world. The way he hugs her... kisses her forehead... When a guy kisses your forehead, there's nothing in it for him, you know? It's only for you. It's his way of showing you, that he loves you unconditionally, that he will keep you safe no matter what, that he expects nothing in return... I don't know how, but Cassidy and Mika work really well together. You look at them and you can't help but think 'Yeah, those two really belong together'... They're so in love...It makes me sick...”

 

Henry's eyebrows shot up so high at the last part, they almost touched his hairline. Emily realized what she had said and looked startled, then she tried to laugh it off. “I mean, you know... when two people are so sweet together, that it makes you want to barf?”

 

“Mhm,...” Henry hummed with a frown.

 

“I'm sorry, you wanted the truth,” Emily smiled sheepishly, thinking that he surely hadn't liked hearing what she had told him. However, the opposite was the case.

 

“It's alright... it's what I needed to hear,” Henry gave her a tight-lipped smile. He wasn't lying. It had been exactly what he had needed to hear. It told him, that his new plan would work out. It was an unconventional plan, but then again, this whole situation had been pretty unconventional to begin with.

 

“Speak of the Devil...” Emily said as she looked out the glass front of the restaurant. The church van had just passed by with Cassidy behind the wheel.

 

“What?” Henry quickly looked around, checking if Cassidy was indeed inside the Flavor Station.

 

“Cassidy just drove by. Probably running to the store to get stuff for Mika again. God forbid he gets some real work done.”

 

“I think I'm ready for the check now, Emily. Thanks,” Henry dismissed her as politely as possible.

 

“Oh... right... want me to pack up the rest for you to go?”

 

“No need, but thank you. For everything.”

 

“Don't mention it, Henry.”

 

* * *

 

Cassidy sat at the bar of some run-down watering hole in Dallas, drinking, smoking up a storm and staring at the fresh tattoo on the back of his left hand.

 

**Кристина**

 

Mika's real name, Kristina, in Cyrillic letters.

 

Looking at it hurt terribly and felt incredibly good at the same time.

 

He had been such an idiot. He knew that. Now, two days after he had high-tailed it out of Annville, he was fully aware of how much of a childish, irrational decision it had been. He was 119 bloody years old and instead of confronting Mika like a normal adult, he'd thrown himself a temper tantrum and had run off with just the clothes on his back, leaving everything behind.

 

He was in a hell of his own making. On the one hand he felt guilty, thinking that Mika must be worried out of her freaking mind, but then, on the other hand, he remembered that she had wanted to get rid of him and he got angry again, thinking that maybe she felt relieved that he was gone. Relieved and fucking safe.

 

That one still stung like a son of a bitch. That she didn't feel safe at the church anymore, because of him. Okay, she hadn't said it like that, not outright, but it had been implied. The irrational side of him liked clinging on to that. Being angry at her took the edge off the pain for a second.

 

He missed her so much. He'd had no idea that he could ever miss someone so much that it hurt physically. He'd lost a lot of people he'd cared for over the years, but this? This took the fucking cake. It was like the bloody Hulk was squeezing his heart over and over again.

 

He wanted to go back to Annville, but he wasn't sure if he really should. Mika was right, what if being around her put her in danger? He would never be able to forgive himself, if something happened to her, because of him. Maybe she would be better off without him.

 

Cassidy sighed deeply and squeezed his burning eyes shut. He rubbed them with his thumb and forefinger for good measure, before he looked back up at the shelf behind the bar and pointed at two different bottles. “I'll take that one and that one, please.”

 

“Damn, man... leave some of that stuff for the rest of us, would ya?”

 

Cassidy frowned when he heard the male voice speak up to his left. He was sure he'd heard it before, but he wasn't able to place it. He turned his head to the left, looking at the man who sat down on the bar stool next to his, then he froze.

 

Henry fucking Blake. Of course.

 

Cassidy felt a vague sense of deja-vu. This was how Henry's father had approached him in that bar back in New York over 20 years ago. History sure liked repeating itself.

 

“Look, Buffy, I get it... I wronged you, you want revenge, but now's not really a good time for me, mate,” Cassidy declared tiredly.

 

“Why not?” Henry laughed lightly. He ordered a drink, before he looked Cassidy over. “Looks to me like you might actually be happy to have me put you out of your misery. What happened? Mika kick you out?”

 

“No. It's none of your business, but I was the one who left,” Cassidy explained defiantly.

 

“Really? Why would you do that? From what I heard, you're head over heels in love with her. What? Scared she might kill you herself when she finds out what you are?”

 

“She already knows.”

 

Henry frowned in disbelief. “She does? Since when?”

 

“Couple days ago... hate to burst your bubble, mate, but she didn't care.”

 

Henry stared at him in surprise for a moment, then he shook his head with an incredulous laugh. “Of course... Of course she didn't care. That's exactly, why I never showed her this...” he pulled an envelope out of his back pocket and held it up for Cassidy to see.

 

Cassidy was curious beyond belief, but he was also tired and in a world of hurt. He only wanted to get drunk and then sleep for 12 hours and then get drunk and high again. “So, you're gonna talk me to death? That's your grand plan? You might wanna go with your dad's way, ya know? Jam a piece of wood into me chest. Won't kill me, but it'll give you a head start.”

 

Henry smiled, albeit a bit bitterly. “Might be hard for you to believe, but I'm not here to kill you, Cassidy. I wanted to. Trust me, just three days ago I wouldn't have hesitated to drag you outside to watch the sunrise with you.”

 

“Really? And now you don't? No revenge for good ole da'? What changed?”

 

“I smartened up.”

 

“Did you now?”

 

“I did. And I have a question for you.”

 

“Let's hear it then.”

 

“Why are you here, Cassidy? Why did you run?”

 

Cassidy averted his gaze and stared at his tattoo. “So she's safe.”

 

Henry smiled. “Good. I was hoping you'd say that.”

 

“Why? What the bloody hell do you want, Van Helsing? Why aren't you just glad that I'm gone and bugger off?”

 

“Because, believe it or not, as much as I hate you, I need your help.”

 

“My help? Right,” Cassidy snorted.

 

“Read this,” Henry said as he slid the envelope towards Cassidy.

 

“What is it?”

 

“It's a letter. Mikhail Petrov wrote it to John Custer, Jesse's father, before he went to San Francisco, where he later died.”

 

“Mikhail Petrov? Was that her dad?”

 

“Read it,” Henry urged him and watched Cassidy open the envelope and pull out the letter.

 

Cassidy unfolded the pages and started reading. His mouth dropped open and his eyes widened a little more with each sentence he read.

 

“Holy mother of shite... Kristina... she's...?”

 

“Yes,” Henry nodded.

 

“And she's...?”

 

“Yes, she is.”

 

“You knew?”

 

“From the start,” Henry confirmed.

 

“And she doesn't know? Any of this?” Cassidy couldn't believe it. He couldn't believe what he had read, but now some things made sense.

 

“No, she doesn't.”

 

“Why the bloody hell not?”

 

“You know why, Cassidy. You know her by now. You know what she would have done.”

 

“She needs to know. I'm not going to keep this from her,” Cassidy stated as he waved the letter around for emphasis.

 

“Do what you think you have to. I'm passing the torch.”

 

“What the bloody hell is that supposed to mean?”

 

“As much as I hate to admit it, we both know that I'm not the man for the job. Keeping her safe. You are. You're the only one who can help her. So I'm passing the torch to you. I'm done.”

 

Cassidy narrowed his eyes and looked at him with suspicion. “What are you playing at?”

 

Henry laughed quietly. “This is not a game. Mika resents me. She's never going to let me near her again. There's no way for me to reach her. Even if things would go back to normal, if the Earl ever found her... what am I going to do about it?”

 

“You wouldn't stand a chance,” Cassidy confirmed.

 

“Exactly. My father was a tyrant. A freaking fanatic. Always drilling it into my brain, that we're superior. That vampires are cold-blooded, heartless creatures that need to be slaughtered... He beat it into me until I believed it. He beat into me that I had a mission. After he died, Mika became my mission. I was fanatic about it, not realizing how senseless and stupid that mission was. Not realizing how delusional we all are... we're jokes... Anyway, I talked to Emily yesterday... she hates your guts, by the way...”

 

Cassidy laughed at that. “She does... never lets me forget it, neither.”

 

“Still, she told me about you and Mika.... about how you treat her... And I've watched you since you left Annville the other day. You're polite to strangers, you help women with babies with their luggage, you freaking apologize when you bump into someone,... you love Mika with all your heart and now that you're not with her, you're suffering... You're a vampire, but you might actually be more human than I've ever been,” Henry stated and thereby impressed the hell out of Cassidy.

 

“Thanks, mate. Appreciate it. You're really not going to try to kill me, are you?”

 

“No. If Mika knows you're a vampire, I'm sure she's told you about the organization?”

 

“The Vampire Extinction thing?”

 

“Yeah. They think you're dead. I'm not going to tell them otherwise. You're free, Cassidy. And so am I. I'm ready to move on, but only if you go back and take care of her.”

 

“After reading this? Try and stop me.”

 

Henry nodded with a satisfied smile. “Perfect. Meet me at the Bluebonnet Motel after sundown. I'll give you a ride back home.”

 

“I'll be there,” Cassidy told him. He watched Henry leave, then he looked back down at his newest tattoo and smiled. He was going back home.

 

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys. Since only one of you is interested in a potential Angelville storyline, I'm not going to pursue that for the time being. The story is going to end like I had initially planned, but until then, we still have a few more chapters to go, which I hope you'll enjoy.
> 
> Thanks for reading everyone.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HUGE Thank You to the lovely readers who leave comments. You guys are the ones that make me keep writing and put as much effort into it as I possibly can! <3
> 
> I hope you enjoy this.

Tulip and Mika had been through this before. They had lost several people from one moment to the next. They had been through this together even, when Jesse had vanished and hadn't contacted them for half a year. They should have been used to this by now, but the truth was, it only seemed to get harder instead of easier.

 

“If I make some tea, are you gonna drink it?” Tulip asked her friend, who hadn't eaten or slept in two whole days now. Mika didn't reply. She kept hugging her knees and looking at the ground. “Alright, I'll go make some.” Tulip got up from where she had been sitting next to Mika on the stairs, that led up to the stage and the door to the living quarters. “Maybe some of that caramel apple tea? You looove that... You put sweetener in that, right? No sugar?” Again, no answer. “Ooo-kaaayyy...” Tulip sighed and made her way into the kitchen.

 

She put the kettle on and looked in the cabinets for Mika's favorite tea. She wished she would be able to do more, but right now, there was nothing to do, but to be there for her friend. She had arrived back from Houston shortly after Mika and Jesse had noticed that Cassidy was gone. They had filled her in on everything that had happened, including Cassidy being a vampire. She hadn't believed it at first, but eventually, when she had realized that Mika and Jesse had been dead serious, it had sunk in and she found that she was perfectly okay with it. Cassidy had never hurt any of them and he was fun to be around. He'd become a good friend, which was why she was sad, too, that he was gone.

 

Together they had looked everywhere, but Cassidy was nowhere to be found. They had found the church van two towns over yesterday, but apart from that, there was no trace of Cassidy. Mika had fallen into a near catatonic state, fearing the worst when they had gone to confront Henry, only to find that he was gone as well. Emily had been the last to see both men two days ago, but she'd had no idea where either one of them had gone off to.

 

“Where are you?” Tulip whispered to herself as she waited for the water to boil. The sound of the back door opening pulled her out of her thoughts, and she looked up at Jesse with an anxious expression on her face. “Anything?”

 

Jesse shook his head no. “Henry's still gone. No one has seen him since he left the Flavor Station on Saturday.”

 

Tulip groaned quietly and let her head fall forward as she supported herself with her hands on the kitchen counter in front of her. “What the hell happened? I can't make sense of it.”

 

“Me neither. The logical explanation would have been, that Henry kidnapped Cass to kill him,” Jesse said as he leaned back against the counter next to her.

 

“But Henry can't enter the church and also Emily talked to him while Cass drove by with the van.”

 

“Exactly. Cassidy left first and Henry obviously followed him. Question remains, why would Cass leave in the first place? He promised Mika not to leave the church, because it was too dangerous.”

 

“Maybe Cassidy tried to set a trap for Henry. He wanted to get rid of him before Henry would get his buddies here and kill him?”

 

“But then why isn't Cass back yet?”

 

“I don't know, Jesse. Maybe they friggin' killed each other,”

 

Jesse sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. He felt a headache starting to build. “Maybe... nothing seems impossible anymore. How's Mika? She eat something?”

 

“Nope. Hasn't eaten, hasn't spoken, hasn't slept,” Tulip reported.

 

“What are we gonna do, if Henry comes back and he killed Cass?” Jesse asked the question that kept running through his mind over and over again.

 

“We help Mika kill Henry,” Tulip stated. “After that, we keep going. It's what we do. Mika's a tough sumbitch. If Cassidy's dead, it will wreck her at first, but she'll be okay. It will take a while, maybe a long while, but in the end, she'll be okay.”

 

“She's not gonna kill Henry, Tulip. Don't go putting any ideas in her head.”

 

“If Henry killed the first man she ever loved, trust me, she's going to kill him without thinking twice about it. She'll make him suffer for as long as she possibly can and then she's going to end him. Mark my words, Jesse Custer.”

 

“I'd rather not. What do you think she'll do if Cass killed Henry?” Jesse asked out of curiosity.

 

“Give plenty of bj's and screw Cass' brains out for a week straight.”

 

Jesse made a face at the mental picture. “I'm sorry I asked.”

 

* * *

 

Cassidy sat in the passenger seat in Henry's car and munched on potato chips while he kept shooting curious glances at the other man.

 

“Careful. If you keep staring, I might just think you're starting to develop a crush on me,” Henry smirked after a while.

 

“You're a handsome bloke, but no... afraid you're a bit too jacked for me, man. But I do keep wondering... are you gay by any chance?”

 

“Nope. Straight as an arrow,” Henry stated.

 

“Really? Then how the bloody hell did you do it?”

 

“How did I do what?”

 

“How did you not fall in love with her? You've been with her for two decades... all it took for me was two bloody seconds and I was done for. Honest to God, one look, I saw her standing there, smiling at me and that was it,” Cassidy explained.

 

“I tried, believe me I tried as hard as I could, but it didn't happen. I have to assume that she is simply not my type,” Henry smiled with a shrug.

 

“Not your type? Have you looked at her, mate? Are your eyes okay? She's everybody's type.”

 

“Mika is a beautiful woman, no arguments there, but there is more to a woman than her looks, as you probably know.”

 

“I'm aware of that, but the rest of her is bloody perfect as well.”

 

“Maybe to you, Cassidy... certainly not to me. That godawful music she listens to for starters... “

 

“She loves her KoRn and Disturbed, alright... nothing wrong with that,” Cassidy smiled fondly as the sound of her voice singing along to her favorite songs floated though his mind.

 

“And then there's her sense of humor.”

 

“Her sense of humor is bloody amazing. Who doesn't love a woman who appreciates a good dick joke?”

 

“Me,” Henry smirked. “She's 35 years old and wears shirts with Daffy Duck or those Justice League people on them in her free time.”

 

“I love her Daffy Duck shirt,” Cassidy grinned. “I even wore it once. She looks so cute in it, standing in the kitchen in the morning, drinking her coffee, wearing the same grumpy expression as Daffy... I took a picture of it... it's on me phone. I would show you, but you see, I left it back home.”

 

“That's alright.”

 

“So what else bothers you about her? I'm curious, really, because I just cannot understand, how someone could ever not like something about her.”

 

“Her mood swings.”

 

“That's because of what she can do. You know that. Work is hard on her. It's so easy to cheer her up and get her out of a funk, though. Have you ever tried? It really is so simple.”

 

“Maybe for you, Cassidy. I'm guessing she isn't behaving like an ice queen around you?”

 

“Can't say that she does. No.”

 

“See? That's why it's easy for you and why it never was for me.”

 

Cassidy nodded. A frown marred his features as he thought about Mika and everything she did for him. He pictured her in the kitchen, kneading dough for her dinner rolls, flour on her cheek, singing along to her favorite metal songs, giving him a big smile when she noticed him... He couldn't imagine what it felt like having her act dismissively towards him.

 

“You know, I do feel a bit sorry for you, mate.”

 

“Why's that?”

 

“You wasted the better part of your life 'protecting' her... and for all of that, you didn't even get to meet the real her. You didn't get to meet **my** Kristina, the way I know her. I feel sorry that you never got to experience that side of her.”

 

“Me, too. You always call her Kristina?”

 

“It's her name, isn't it?”

 

“Not really. Not anymore,” Henry argued.

 

“It is. Mika is a pretty name, don't get me wrong, but it's not her.”

 

“Suit yourself,” Henry shrugged with a sigh, before they both fell silent for a long moment.

 

“It was for the best, though... probably...” Cassidy eventually pondered out loud. “That you never got to know her the way Jesse and I know her, I mean. If she would have behaved with you, the way she does with us, you would have loved her. You would have loved her so hard, you never would have let her go.”

 

“I do love her, Cassidy. Just not the way you do. If she didn't mean anything to me, I would have been long gone by now.”

 

“Fair enough.”

 

“Can I ask you something?” Henry asked, and as Cassidy nodded, he went on. “Has she ever uttered a single **nice** word about me?”

 

Cassidy had to think about it. When it took him a while to reply, Henry let out a little laugh. “Yeah... I thought so. You know, Cassidy, I never hurt her. I gave up a lot for her, willingly, yes, but I still sacrificed a lot for a girl I had never met. I was just trying to protect her, keep her company, be a good friend... be there for her. I never expected a thank you. I never really expected anything in return... but I also never expected that she would make me out to be the bad guy in all of this. She acts like I'm the devil or something... She's not perfect, Cassidy. Far from it.”

 

“Right...” Cassidy had to admit, that judging from what he'd learned, Mika hadn't been entirely fair where Henry was concerned. Yet, he felt the need to defend her. “Even so, maybe it would have helped if she would have known the truth.”

 

“You're kidding me, right? I still think it's a bad idea that you want to tell her. You're probably going to bring forth the apocalypse, you are aware of that, aren't you?”

 

“Oh come on now... That's a bit over-dramatic, don't you think? That's the fanatic in you making an appearance.”

 

“Maybe... but I am worried about her. Those awful memories of her childhood seem to be buried deep inside her mind. She only remembers the good things, at least, that's what I think, because she never mentioned what happened to her. You really want to risk bringing up the bad ones? What do you think it'll do to her?”

 

“You're not going to convince me not to tell her, mate. No matter what you say. She needs to know. You do know, that right now, using her abilities too much makes her sick, don't you? She needs to know why that is. She needs to know that there's a way to keep it from happening. Whatever happens once she knows,... I'll be there and I'll help her. Like you said, I'm the only one who can anyway. You lot made enough decisions for her. It's time for her to make her own. She needs to decide who she wants to be. It's not up to you.”

 

“Not anymore, it's not,” Henry agreed.

 

“What are you going to do? Now that your mission's over?” Cassidy asked before he lit a cigarette. “You going to stick around?”

 

“No,” Henry smiled as he thought of his plans for his future. “I'm headed to Europe. England. I did some research,... my mother still has some family over there. I'm going to see them. It's the only place for me to go.”

 

“England, eh? Not a bad place... I think you might like it.”

 

“I think so, too. Oh, before I forget... If you're really going to tell Mika the truth, you might as well give her Mikhail's notes.”

 

Cassidy frowned. “Notes?”

 

“Yeah,... well, not all of them are his. He had her grandmother's diaries. He translated them... she kept detailed notes on Mika's development and her reactions to... well... you know.”

 

“Grandma's sick experiments? Yeah... I know...”

 

The men fell silent as they both thought about the grim passages from Mikhail's letter. Henry eventually sighed deeply and decided to try one last time.

 

“Don't make her remember, Cassidy. I don't think it will do any good.”

 

“I'm not making her remember. Maybe the memories won't come back, even when she does learn what happened. And if she will remember, we've got options. Don't you worry your pretty head about that. She won't be alone.” Cassidy would have Jesse use Genesis on Mika, make her forget again, if it would get too painful.

 

“Fine... not my problem anymore,” Henry mumbled as he gripped the steering wheel a bit more forcefully. It was harder to let go than he'd anticipated, but he knew that it was the best thing for everyone involved. Mika had moved on and it was time for him to do the same. He knew that Cassidy loved Mika and he had to trust, that she would be okay.

 

* * *

_**'CASSIDYYYYY!!!!'** _

 

Tulip and Jesse both woke with a start, after hearing Mika's scream inside their heads. Just a second later, they were both flooded with desperation and anguish, making them gasp and struggle not to break out in tears.

 

“What's happening?” Tulip asked with a panicked expression on her face.

 

“Mika,” Jesse forced himself out of bed, even though Mika's emotions made him want to crumble in a heap on the floor. “She's exhausted. I guess she can't keep her mental block up anymore. Everything she feels, we're gonna feel.”

 

“For how long?”

 

“Don't worry. I'll make her stop,” Jesse promised as he put on his black jeans.

 

“Jesse, no. Don't use your mind thing on her.”

 

“You wanna keep feeling like this, Tulip?”

 

“No, but-” Tulip paused mid-sentence. She noticed that she was starting to feel better again. She waited five seconds before she went on, sounding relieved. “It's gone... She's got it back up.”

 

“I'm going to talk to her.”

 

“Jesse, be nice,” Tulip warned him.

 

“I'm always nice.”

 

Jesse left the bedroom, only wearing his black wife beater and jeans, with the belt still unbuckled. He found Mika in her room, sitting cross-legged on her bed, rocking back and forth while she clutched one of Cassidy's shirts in her hands. Blood dripped from her nose, staining the soft fabric she was holding.

 

“Christ, Mika...” Jesse uttered in a near-whisper. His heart was hurting for her. He hadn't seen her in this much pain since the first time he'd ever met her. He had forgotten how unbearable it was for him to see her like this. Even if he didn't show it very often, next to Tulip, Mika was the most important person in his life and he loved her fiercely.

 

He crouched down in front of her and gently pushed some hair out of her face and tucked it behind her ears. He checked her nightstand for a box of tissues and quickly pulled some out after he had located it. “You gotta stop, Mika,” he urged her quietly as he carefully pressed the tissues against her nose. “You can't find his mind. You've been trying for three days. It's killing you.”

 

“What's killing me is that he's gone, Jesse. That he apparently just left and we don't know why. That Henry probably followed him and that I can't be sure whether Cassidy is dead or alive at this point.”

 

“I know, panda... I know. I miss Cass and it's driving me crazy, too,” Jesse admitted as he slowly cleaned the blood off her face, “but you won't achieve anything by starving yourself or by giving yourself an aneurysm.”

 

“The son of a bitch made me fall in love with him, Jesse.”

 

“I know,” Jesse cooed and sweetly stroked the back of his fingers along her jaw.

 

“I don't know how. It just happened. Just like that. I thought it would take me years to open myself up to someone. Somehow he made me open up to him right off the bat. I let him in. I let myself need him. I even **want** to need him. And now he's gone and I don't know how to do this without him anymore. I don't want to do this without him, Jesse, and now I am so fucking mad at him, for making me feel this fucking helpless.”

 

“I'm mad at him, too,” Jesse told her. “Wanna be mad at him together for a little bit?” he asked with a sweet small smile.

 

Mika nodded and leaned into Jesse as he got on the bed with her and wrapped his arm around her small shoulders.

 

“Do you think he's dead?” she asked him quietly, tensing up as she waited for his answer.

 

“Cassidy killed a plane full of vampire hunters by himself. Do you honestly think that Henry would stand a chance against him?”

 

“Henry has a lot of pent-up anger inside of him. On top of that Cassidy derailed his life by making me fall in love with him and by killing his father... Why on Earth did he leave the church? Why did he fucking leave the church. He knew that Henry was probably just waiting for him to show his face outside. I don't understand why he went outside. Where was he going? Was he leaving me?”

 

“He loves you, Mika. Even a blind man can see that. I don't think he left you. He left everything behind, even his phone. Something must have happened, while we were outside, but I have no idea what.”

 

“It must have been the V.E.M.. Henry can't come inside, but he could have sent the others in, if he got them to come down here.”

 

“But Emily said that Cassidy drove the van. She didn't see anyone else in there,” Jesse argued.

 

“Maybe they were in the back hiding, holding him at gunpoint. I don't know, Jesse. It's just the only explanation that makes any sense at all to me. I miss him so much. I just want him back so that I can kill him for leaving this goddamn church.”

 

“Want some help with that?”

 

“No. If his skinny ass ever shows up back here, I'm gonna kill him all by myself,” Mika vowed stubbornly, making Jesse release a small laugh.

 

“Can I watch?”

 

“You can record it, for all I care,” Mika grumbled before she sighed deeply. “Goddammit, Jesse... I just... I never thought love could hurt this fucking much... I just want him back. It's only been three days and I feel like I'm dying. What's gonna happen in three weeks or three months?”

 

_'Genesis, that's what's gonna happen if you can't deal,'_ Jesse thought and hoped that she wasn't reading him, but since she didn't punch him, he seemed to be safe. “We'll deal with it. Don't worry. You'll be okay.”

 

* * *

Jesse sat with Mika for an hour and was able to convince her to take a shower while he fixed her some tea. He put a slice of toast on a plate and set it down next to her cup on the table, but when Mika was finished with her shower, she only took the cherry-flavored rooibos tea back to her room with her.

 

Jesse was tempted to use Genesis on her and make her behave normally again, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. Not yet. She had always respected his boundaries and had never invaded his mind without permission. At least not since she had learned how to 'flip her switch' and keep up her mental walls. It wouldn't be right for him to just go ahead and invade her mind, just because it hurt him to see her like this. She had told him that he was only allowed to use Genesis on her, if it would save her life, so he would give her another couple of days to pull herself back together and start eating again. If she hadn't done so by the end of the week, and/or her condition deteriorated, he would use the word on her, because she kind of seemed to be committing suicide by hunger strike.

 

The preacher padded back into his own bedroom on bare feet. He found Tulip back asleep, while he was wide awake by now. He was starving, but he wasn't feeling a dry slice of toast, either. Cassidy had been supposed to do the grocery shopping on the day he'd left. By now, there wasn't anything decent left. Since it was only about 5 AM in the morning, nothing in town was open yet. Therefore, getting breakfast from the Flavor Station wasn't an option. He opted for a coffee and a fix of nicotine instead. He got fully dressed, went back to the kitchen, in order to grab himself a coffee, then he went outside and sat down on the front steps of the church. It was dawn, and Jesse enjoyed the cool morning air it brought. 

 

He took long drags from his cigarette and reveled in the rare quiet moment. Although it felt good, he wasn't at peace. Cassidy was just as much on his mind, as he was on Mika's. He really missed his crazy companion. The constant chatter, the wacky stories, the dirty laugh... The vampire truly had become his best friend in a short amount of time. A friend who had his back even in the craziest of situations. Like the insane angel-massacre.

 

“Come on, Cass... This can't be it,” Jesse mumbled to the still fairly dark sky.

 

He wondered if he should go see Fiore and Deblanc. Maybe they had an idea on how to find a missing vampire. Or maybe he should go call up God right now and inquire about Cassidy's whereabouts. After all, God saw everything, right?

 

As soon as he had finished his second smoke, he got up and flicked the cigarette butt into the dirt. Just when he was about to go back inside, he heard something. He froze and perked his ears. A car. He heard a car coming up the long road that led up to his church.

 

Jesse turned around, walked back down the steps and watched the car approach. It was still too dark to recognize what kind of car it was. Also, the headlights were blinding him.

 

The car came to a stop and the engine was turned off. Jesse blinked, trying to get used to the bright light. When his eyes managed to adjust and spied Henry Blake getting out of the car, Jesse saw red.

 

“You son of a bitch,” Jesse growled as he stormed towards Henry, fists already clenching, ready to strike. “You got some nerve. I'm ending this once and for all.”

 

“Custer, wait!” Henry shouted, but Jesse had already grabbed a fistful of his shirt with one hand, while he pulled back his other arm, getting ready to punch Henry's lights out.

 

“No, no, no, no, no,... hold on there, Padre!” Jesse heard the familiar Irish accent sound behind him, a second before the owner of that distinctive voice held on to his arm, keeping him from delivering a right hook to his opponent's jaw.

 

“Cassidy?!?!” Jesse let go of Henry and shook the vampire's hands off of him. He took a step back and in utter confusion he looked back and forth between the two men. “You're both here... you came here together? Where were you? The hell is going on? Did he kidnap you or somethin'?”

 

“Nooo, Padre... relax. I'll explain, but first...” Cassidy motioned towards Henry, “can you lift his ban on coming inside?”

 

Jesse narrowed his eyes at the request. “Why?”

 

“He's alright. I promise. Come on, Jess, I wanna see my girl and we got some talking to do, I suppose.”

 

Jesse suspiciously eyed Henry, who had fetched a cardboard box out of the trunk in the meantime. Then he looked back at Cassidy, who looked at him encouragingly. “Come on, he's not gonna do anything. Go on.”

 

“Fine,” Jesse grumbled quietly. **“YOU CAN COME INSIDE.”**

 

With that taken care of, the three men walked towards the entrance of the church.

 

“How is my girl?”

 

Jesse snorted at Cassidy's question. “She pretty much thought you were dead for the past three days, Cassidy. How do you think she's doing? Better prepare yourself. She don't look good.”

 

“Jesus...” Cassidy murmured with a pained expression on his face. Suddenly, he felt something. It was like something was gently tickling him at the edge of his subconscious.

 

“Mika!!!” Jesse called out as soon as they had stepped foot inside the church doors. “Mika! You're gonna wanna see this. Get out here.”

 

“She already knows...” Cassidy stated quietly as he felt their connection form. It was the best feeling to come home to. He felt her hope and her disbelief inside his own body, before she even made it through the door that connected the church and the living quarters.

 

Cassidy stopped in his tracks as Mika appeared in the doorway. Jesse hadn't exaggerated. She looked awful. Had she always been that skinny? She looked like she had lost 20 pounds in just three days. That was probably his imagination, because it obviously wasn't possible for a body to just change overnight, but in that moment, she looked so incredibly frail, that he was afraid that just a light gust of wind would be able to take her away.

 

He watched her stare at him, rooted to the spot. Her face displaying exactly the emotions that he felt through their bond; Disbelief, relief and fear.

 

_'Are you real?'_ Cassidy heard her inside his head, and he wasn't the only one. She wasn't able yet to connect just to one person. She was connected to Jesse and Henry as well, and Henry almost dropped the box in his hands, when he heard her inside his mind. 

 

“What the...?” he whispered confused.

 

“New development,” Jesse explained curtly.

 

_'I'm real... I'm here, luv,'_ Cassidy thought and immediately felt his whole system getting flooded by a huge wave of relief. 

 

A smile started tugging at the corners of his mouth, but it didn't get to develop fully. He saw Mika's tense shoulders slump as she took a breath of relief, a split-second later, however, her eyes started glistening and her lips and chin started to quiver. With a great sob, she sank down to sit on the top step and buried her face in her shaking hands as she started to weep in earnest.

 

Jesse started walking up to her, but was quickly held back by Cassidy.

 

“No,” the vampire simply stated with a shake of his head, before he walked past Jesse towards the stairs.

 

Cassidy knelt on the bottom step and gently wrapped his long fingers around Mika's slim wrists with his thumbs stroking the back of her hands. He leaned in and sweetly kissed the back of her fingers, which were still covering her eyes. “It's alright, sweetheart. Everything's alright. I'm sorry,... shhhhh shh shh... It's okay. I'm so sorry, luv.”

 

Henry was shocked. He put the box on one of the pews and took two steps closer to the scene that was unfolding before his eyes. He was absolutely fascinated by it. He had  **never** seen Mika cry. He had never seen her this emotional and weak. Now, seeing this, there was absolutely no doubt left in his mind, that he had made the right decision. Cassidy was the only and the right person to watch over Mika. She allowed herself to be vulnerable with him. She allowed herself to be weak with him and she allowed Cassidy to be strong for her. She had never been able to do that with Henry. 

 

The knowledge caused a little sting of sorrow inside of him. A part of him really wished he would have gotten to know her like that. That she would have let him in and let him take care of her. Unfortunately, it hadn't been meant to be. She was in better hands now.

 

Cassidy was still trying to console Mika. Her whole body was shaking, she was sobbing so hard. Now that all the tension and adrenaline of the past days started to drain away, all those pesky pent-up emotions fought their way to the surface all at once. She had been so scared. The worst scenarios and various images of a burning Cassidy had popped up in her brain every other minute during those damn 72 hours. And then the despair at not being able to reach his mind... The exhaustion, the longing, the anger... her body just needed release.

 

Eventually, Cassidy managed to slowly pry her hands away from her face, so that he could look at her. The dark rings underneath her eyes broke his heart, just like her ashen complexion. He softly cradled her face between his hands, wiping at her tears with his thumbs as he placed the most loving kiss on her lips he could muster. Feeling him like that made Mika cry even harder. She slung her arms around his neck and buried her face in the crook of it.

 

_'Where were you? Do you have any idea how worried we were? Why on Earth did you leave?'_

 

_'I came outside looking for you. Heard you and Padre talking. You said I had to leave, because it wasn't safe for me. That it wasn't safe for you guys anymore, either. So I left.'_

 

Her response was immediate. She lifted her head and looked at him with an incredulous expression in her wide eyes.

 

“Uh oh...” Cassidy mumbled as he felt her anger rise.

 

“Are you kidding me? Are you fucking kidding me? Please, please, **please** , tell me you're kidding.”

 

“Wish I could, luv.”

 

“After everything? After **that** night?! You just left, because of what? A misunderstanding? Did you hear the entire conversation or did you just run away once you heard something you didn't like?” Mika was seething by now and all three men were very clearly able to feel it. 

 

“That's more like it,” Henry mumbled to himself. This was the Mika he knew. That was, what he was a bit more comfortable with.

 

Cassidy sheepishly scratched his head. “Umm... I heard you say it and thought I'd do you a favor...”

 

Mika took three long breaths in and out. She was very close to punching him again and Cassidy seemed to be bracing himself already, fully expecting to get a fist to the face again.

 

Mika was able to keep herself from hurting him physically, but she was unable to keep herself from yelling.

 

“You know what, Cassidy? The next time you eavesdrop, accidentally or intentionally, you might want to stick around until the end of the conversation and get the right context, before you run off like a sulking little boy. If you would have stayed, you would have known that I had every intention of leaving WITH you. Good Lord, you just put all of us through three days of fucking hell for nothing. I could just throttle you right now.”

 

“Right, understandably so,” Cassidy agreed.

 

“If it helps any, he was pretty damn miserable, too,” Henry spoke up.

 

Mika blinked and shook her head in confusion. She hadn't even noticed Henry up until now. “Henry? What the hell are you doing here? How'd you get in here... Wait... why isn't one of you dead or at least gravely injured? What's going on?”

 

“That's what I'd like to know, too,” Jesse piped up.

 

“Me, three,” Tulip, who'd woken up from all the shouting, stepped into the doorway, raising her hand.

 

Mika sighed and rubbed her tired face. She put up her walls and cut the connection, not wanting everyone to hear her thoughts. “I'll make coffee... come on, everybody go into the kitchen.”

 

Cassidy helped her up and held on to her elbow before she was able to go into the living quarters. “Are you really, really mad?”

 

“Yes, Cassidy. I'm really, really mad,...” she replied, before she placed a long kiss on his soft lips, ”but I'm also really, really glad that you're here and in one piece.”

 

Cassidy nodded with a small smile and let her go. When Henry reached the vampire, he leaned in close and whispered to him. “You really wanna tell her everything with Custer and Tulip around?”

 

“No,” Cassidy shook his head. “We'll just tell them how you found me and brought me back here and that you're gonna leave. Everything else I'll tell her when we're alone.”

 

“Sounds like a plan,” Henry nodded and walked past Cassidy to take a seat at the kitchen table.

 

Cassidy looked up and smiled lightly at Jesse, who was bringing up the rear.

 

“Ah, right... after you, Padre...” Cassidy said and made a motion for Jesse to go in first.

 

“Thanks Cass,” Jesse said just before he, very casually, punched Cassidy square in the jaw in passing and with a smile on his face.

 

“Bollocks,” Cassidy groaned and held the left side of his face. “What is it with you people and your affinity to bloody sucker punches?”

 

“Stop doing stupid stuff and you won't get sucker punched,” Tulip told him with a shrug.

 

“Right,” Cassidy sighed as he joined the others at the table, knowing that it probably wouldn't be the last punch he'd ever received from his chosen family.

 

* * *

 


	12. Chapter 12

 

“Emily told you the truth.” Henry leaned back in his chair and fumbled with his coffee cup on the table. “I was down at the Flavor Station and talking to her, when Cassidy drove by. I was talking to her about you two, actually.”

 

“Why?” Mika wanted to know.

 

“The other day, when you made me run off in a panic,... after your influence wore off, I felt clear for the first time in weeks. I finally realized, that there was absolutely nothing I could do to get you to listen to me. For the first time, that fact really got through my thick skull.”

 

“Congratulations... only took you 20 years,” Mika rolled her eyes.

 

“Don't be like that, luv,” Cassidy admonished her. “He was just doing his bloody job.”

 

Mika's eyes widened. “Oh, you're on his side now? You guys are best buds now, yeah?”

 

“You hush now,” Cassidy looked at her sternly. “There's only one side here. All of us want you to be alive and well, that's all.”

 

“Anywaaayyy...” Henry continued as Mika sent Cassidy a death glare, “I got to thinking. I remembered something you had said that night. Cassidy had been around for two months already. Plenty of time to kill you, if he wanted to. Enough time to alert the Earl, if he would have worked for him... You were right. I tried to come to terms with the fact, that Cassidy probably didn't have an agenda here... that he didn't intentionally land here after the plane incident. It was all just a big coincidence... or fate, I don't know. That Sunday I came here to see you and found you with him, I saw the way you looked at each other. I remembered that and that's when I thought 'who would be better suited to keep an eye on you, than a vampire who was in love with you?' At least he knows what he would be up against.”

 

“Good thinking,” Mika admitted. “That still doesn't explain why you went to see Emily about us.”

 

“She had been around you. She had seen Cassidy in action and how he behaved around you and everything. I just wanted to make sure, that I was making the right decision and that Cassidy really would do anything for you. Emily doesn't like him very much, so I was sure she was telling me the truth, when she said that he was actually a decent guy. Especially towards you,” Henry reported.

 

Jesse still watched his longtime nemesis with narrowed eyes. “And then another coincidence... or fate... Cass drove by.”

 

“He did,” Henry confirmed. “I followed him to Dallas, but not to kill him, obviously. I watched him... and what I saw was unreal to me. It didn't compute at first, because I still had my father's voice in my head, about what evil, cold-blooded creatures vampires were... and then there was Cassidy. Smiling at a baby in a café, helping the mother with her stroller, being nice to strangers, acting more decent than most humans out there... more decent than me, I had to admit to myself. I also saw how much he was suffering from being apart from you, Mika. Poor bastard was miserable. After two days I approached him in a bar and told him, what I told you just now. I'm throwing in the towel, Mika. I found some of my mother's relatives. They live near Manchester and I'm going to stay there indefinitely. I'm leaving Annville next week. I will no longer bother you in any way or interfere with your life or whatever. I'm done, too.”

 

His aura showed that he was being completely honest with her. A smile forced its way on her lips, a warm one even. “Thank you, Henry. That's aweseome. I'm really, really happy that you're going to be with family. It's a great thing for you.”

 

“Yeah,” Henry smiled enthusiastically, “I'm really looking forward to it. I've already contacted them, we're all really excited to see each other.”

 

“That sounds great,” Mika smiled. “It'll be amazing for you. You've always wanted to see Scotland and Ireland. Now you can do that.”

 

“I know. I can't wait, to be honest. I guess I gotta thank you for being so damn stubborn and finally getting me to let go, huh?”

 

A small laugh escaped Mika's lips at that. “Anytime, Henry. No thanks necessary.”

 

They shared a smile. Cassidy's fists clenched under the table when he watched Mika and Henry being friendly like that. He was a jealous bastard, and even though he knew that Henry wasn't interested in Mika and vice versa, he found that he liked it better when they spoke in clipped and icy tones, after all. He felt sorry for admonishing her a minute ago.

 

Henry looked around the table and noticed that Jesse was still trying to make him drop dead with just a single look, while Tulip looked at him with her usual stand-offish and slightly arrogant expression. _'Guess you can't win 'em all...'_ , Henry thought and slowly scooted back with his chair in order to get up.

 

“Well, I guess I better get going. I still got a lot of stuff to take care of.”

 

“I'll walk you to your car,” Mika said and got up as well.

 

“Cassidy,” Henry addressed the vampire and held his hand out. The two men shook hands and looked into each other's eyes as they shared a nod, once more silently acknowledging their agreement. “Good luck.”

 

“You, too. Say hello to the old home country for me, when you visit.”

 

“I will.” Henry looked back at Jesse and Tulip, sending them a nod, which neither one of them returned.

 

“Come on,” Mika put her hand on his arm and guided him outside.

 

Cassidy watched them with narrowed eyes. Henry might have been an okay dude in his book by now, but he couldn't help himself... he just didn't like Mika and Henry being alone together. So he got up, too, and followed them, staying at a safe distance and out of sight.

 

“Mika,” Henry addressed her as they walked down the steps outside the church, getting her attention, “don't be too hard on Cassidy. His leaving might have been a childish reaction, but ultimately, he wanted to stay away to keep you safe... or saf **er**. He meant well, he just chose the wrong way.”

 

“You defending a vampire?” Mika shook her head with a laugh. “Wow... hell really is going to hell in a hand-basket, huh?”

 

“It would seem that way... Honestly, though. He's alright, and he really loves you, don't doubt that. He made a mistake, don't make a huge deal out of it, okay? I know how cold you can be, when you're in a mood... he really doesn't deserve it. Like I said, I watched him... trust me, he suffered more than enough. Don't make him suffer even more,” Henry pleaded with her. Not really for Cassidy's sake, but because he really wanted her to have someone by her side, who would watch over her, and he didn't want her to kick the vampire to the curb.

 

“Jesus Christ, what did he do to you? Did he make you fall in love with him, too?”

 

“He's good for you, is all I'm saying. I know forgiving isn't your strong suit, but do it in this case, okay? Try.”

 

Mika wouldn't be able to wipe the grin off her face, if her life depended on it. She got the biggest kick out of Henry standing up for Cassidy. “Don't worry, we'll be alright. I'm just glad he's back,” she reassured her former companion. “Thank you for bringing him back... Look, I know you might not believe me, but I truly am sorry for the way I treated you. Not just lately. I was an asshole.”

 

“You were. And so was I. We just weren't a good match. I'm sorry, too...“

 

“Thanks.”

 

“There's one last question I have.”

 

“What's that?”

 

“Jesse... He's got abilities, too?”

 

“Errrmmm... yes... but that's all I'm gonna say about it.”

 

“He get them from you somehow?”

 

“No.”

 

“Has he always had them?”

 

“No, it's new... we're still figuring things out ourselves... Hey, um... I wanted to ask you something, too... do you still have that hook-up with your graphic design guy?”

 

“Yeah. What do you need?” Henry asked, allowing her to change the topic. He would have liked to know more, but in the end he figured, Custer's abilities weren't important. Not to him. He would be far away soon.

 

“Apart from a divorce? Everything,” Mika said with a small laugh. “I'm planning on getting out of here, too. Out of Annville. With Cassidy, I hope... and I think it's time to bury Mika Blake.”

 

“If you plan on killing your current alias, I guess we can skip the fake divorce papers,” Henry smiled.

 

“Yeah, you might be right about that.”

 

“Going back to being Kristina? I noticed that Cassidy only ever calls you Kristina.”

 

“It is my real name... and you know that I've never gotten used to being Mika. I just wanna be myself again. But I don't think I'm gonna go back to being a Semenov... or a Petrov. Gosh, so many names... but I guess I might just as well add another fake last name to the list, while I'm at it. Why break with tradition?”

 

“Just let me know what you decide on and I'll get you everything you need.”

 

“Thank you, Henry. Really. Truly. Thank you for everything. I really hope you'll be happy in the UK.”

 

“I'm sure I will be. At least happier than I used to be here,” Henry said, before he hesitated and cleared his throat. “Mika... I'd like... I mean... let's not just drop out of each other's lives, please? You were all I had for many years... We had our differences, but... you know. I'm not saying we have to talk on the phone every day after dinner, but...”

 

“Let's stay in touch,” Mika smiled. “I was about to say the same thing. I'll set up a new e-mail account tomorrow. I'll send you an e-mail, let you know about the new name and you can mail me back your new info, once you're in England, and I'll let you know mine and so on and so forth...”

 

“Sounds good,” Henry replied, before he held his arms out in a bit of an awkward manner. “Well,... this is it, I reckon.”

 

“It is.” Mika took a step towards him and joined him in a hug.

 

Henry held on to her tightly for a long moment. Before he let go of her completely, he quickly held her face in his large hands and gave her a hard kiss on the lips.

 

“Take care, Mika,” he smirked as he opened the car door. “Bye Cassidy!” he shouted towards the church doors, as he got into his car. He'd seen the vampire lurk around back there and hadn't been able to deny himself the simple pleasure of annoying Cassidy at least once, by kissing Mika goodbye.

 

Mika chuckled as her ears picked up on the sound of Cassidy's vampiric growl. Oh how she loved that sound. To her it was really sexy and on top of that it touched something deep inside of her, whenever she heard it. She would never get tired of it.

 

She waved as Henry put the car in reverse and drove off. She was surprised that she felt a bit melancholy as she watched him leave, but after a moment, she chose to focus on the one emotion that kept her up and running right now after three days of hell: relief.

 

“Bloody arsehole,” Mika heard Cassidy mumble as she walked towards him.

 

“Jealous? Not gonna lie... that's hot,” Mika smirked lightly.

 

Cassidy still wasn't amused. His expression left no doubt about that. It softened though, when he studied her face a bit more closely. “Now don't take this the wrong way, luv, but you know what's not hot? The way you look right now. I'm to blame for it, I know that, so let me help fix it, alright?”

 

Mika wasn't offended. She knew she looked like shit. “You don't smell too hot, either, Cass.” She raked a hand through her still partially wet hair and laughed. “I'm pretty much fresh out of the shower, I don't feel like having another one... you just go ahead and wash up and then let's go to bed, yeah?”

 

“Together?” he asked in a hopeful tone of voice.

 

“Together,” Mika confirmed with a nod. She went up on her tip-toes and slung her arms around his neck, pressing a little kiss against his lips. “I really fucking missed you. Please don't ever do something like that again. At least leave a message next time.”

 

He nodded and kissed her back before he gently disentangled himself from her embrace. He took her hand and led her back inside, where Tulip and Jesse were still at the kitchen table, talking, but looking up, when Mika and Cassidy entered.

 

“He gone?” Tulip asked.

 

“Yeah,” Mika nodded.

 

“Good.”

 

Jesse took a drag from his cigarette and leaned back in his chair as he exhaled. “Tulip and I are gonna go out and see where we can scrounge up some food this early. If we bring something back, you gonna eat it this time?” While Jesse spoke, he shot Cassidy a dirty look. “She hasn't eaten or slept since you left, you know? Thanks for that, by the way.”

 

“Okay, you're still upset I see... alright... fair enough, but-” Cassidy rambled and was about to launch into an explanation, when Mika cut him off.

 

“Can we do the angry thing later, please?” Mika sighed. “I wanna talk to him alone first. You can work out your issues with him another time. Anything else before we go to bed?”

 

“No. Go ahead,” Tulip replied and grabbed her leather jacket off of the back of her chair. “Come on, Jesse. I'm starvin'.”

 

“You gonna be okay?” Jesse asked Mika as he shrugged on his own jacket.

 

Mika nodded. “Yeah sure. I'll see you later.”

 

Only a minute later, Cassidy was alone with his love. He had a lot to tell her and he figured he should probably tell her as quickly as possible and get it over with... _'But not now'_ , he decided on the short way to the bedroom. She was exhausted and so was he. Her well-being was a priority right now. He'd made her miserable, now he had to put her back together and make sure she was alright, before he would drop about 253 bombshells on her.

 

“Uhh, that smells really boggy,” Cassidy made a face as he smelled his own armpit. “Didn't even notice until now...”

 

“I'll wait for you in bed,” Mika yawned as her fatigue started to get the upper hand, now that her worries about Cassidy had subsided.

 

“Okay,” Cassidy slipped into the bathroom to clean himself up, while Mika went to their bedroom. She opened the window and aired it out for a couple of minutes, before she stripped down to her panties and slid under the covers.

 

Cassidy joined her ten minutes later, naked and smelling much better than before. He gathered Mika in his arms and pulled her to rest on his chest. Once she was safely ensconced in his warm and strong embrace, fresh tears stung her eyes and started flowing down her cheeks.

 

“I'm sorry, luv,” Cassidy whispered against her hair as he lowered his head and kissed the top of her head. With his thumb, he gently wiped her tears away. “It's me damn low impulse control. I just snapped.”

 

“That's not what's killing me, Cass. What's really getting to me is that you weren't going to come back. If it wouldn't have been for Henry, you wouldn't be here now,” Mika cried quietly.

 

“I would have come back. Probably wouldn't have taken much longer. Can't be without you anymore. He was right. I was bloody miserable without you, luv.”

 

“So was I... It reminded me how much easier a live without love can be and there were moments in the past couple of days during which I wished that I could go back to those easier times.”

 

Cassidy froze, fearing the worst. “What are you saying, luv?”

 

“Nothing,” she yawned again. “I'm so tired... I don't even know what I'm saying, I'm too exhausted to make much sense right now, I guess. But I'm giving you another chance. Trusting doesn't come easy to me, but I still trust you... I'm just saying, that it might take me a while to work through it. I doubt there'll be any ramifications for our relationship, really,... it's probably gonna be more of an internal process for me,... just working on learning to trust that you won't vanish into thin air, every time I close my eyes,” she rambled on, her speech getting slower and sounding more slurred with every sentence. “Like Houdini... poufff... gone... wonder if he had a cat... keep dreaming about... black cat.... maybe we should get one. Call it Houdini... stupid name for a feline...”

 

Cassidy relaxed. He actually wasn't able to keep the smirk off his face as he nuzzled and kissed her temple. She was barely conscious and just kept talking, making less and less sense as she dozed off more and more. Now that he was back and she was in his arms, her body and mind immediately responded to his presence and she allowed herself to finally relax and fall asleep.

 

“That was quick, luv...” Cassidy smiled quietly as he lazily played with her hair. “That's alright... You sleep now... you can still be disappointed with me later. I really bollocksed this one up, I know that... I'm sorry. Can't even promise you that I won't ever do something like that again... I'm just a bit stupid like that, luv... but whatever I do, no matter how idiotic, and that I **can** promise you... it's all for you, Kristina. All for you...”

 

* * *

 

Cassidy woke up a whooping 14 hours later, only to find that Mika was still fast asleep. She hadn't even moved and was still sleeping with her head on his chest. She was dead to the world.

 

He held her for a couple more minutes, until he couldn't wait any longer to use the bathroom. He carefully slid out from under her, moved the covers up to her shoulders and placed a kiss on her forehead, before he put on a clean pair of boxer briefs and left the room.

 

He relieved himself first, then he trotted to the kitchen to see if there was any food by now. He was yawning and scratching an itchy spot on the back of his head as he entered the room, noticing Tulip and Jesse being hunched over copious amounts of papers and note books.

 

“Evening, folks,” Cassidy greeted them.

 

“What the hell is this, Cass?” Jesse held up a stack of papers.

 

Cassidy frowned and tried to gather his bearings, until he spotted something, that kicked him wide awake in an instant: Henry's box. The box with Mikhail's notes and translations.

 

“Oh no... no, no, no, no, no, no... give me that,” Cassidy hurried around the table and tried to pry the documents out of Jesse's and Tulip's hands. “These are not for you. Not meant for your eyes. Put them back, come on, let's get these back in that box,... right now.”

 

“Get your stupid hands off of me, Cassidy, or I swear to God,” Tulip warned him and yanked the papers back out of his hands.

 

“If it's not meant for our eyes, you shouldn't have left the box in my church unsupervised,” Jesse told him as he seemed to be looking for something. When he found it, he picked it up and Cassidy recognized that it was Mikhail's letter. “This... is this for real?”

 

“It is,...” Cassidy sighed with a nod.

 

Tulip swallowed hard. “All of this? It's all real?”

 

“Aye.”

 

“Four years old... six years old... How is she not some kind of deranged mass-murderer?” Tulip whispered horrified.

 

“Look, you can't tell her, alright?” Cassidy told them, drawing incredulous looks from his friends.

 

“What do you mean we can't tell her? Are you seriously telling me, that she doesn't know?” Jesse had a hard time believing that.

 

“She doesn't.”

 

Tulip huffed. “How can she not know? This stuff is straight out of a horror movie. How on Earth would she not know?”

 

Cassidy rubbed his tired face and wished that he had just gone back to bed. “Henry thinks that she doesn't remember. She never mentioned anything to him about it. Probably some protection mechanism that's keeping those memories under lock and key inside her brain... or something like that. I don't know.”

 

Jesse read the letter for the third time, shaking his head every once in a while. “Henry knew and kept this from her?”

 

“He did.”

 

Jesse snorted derisively. “Can't believe my dad knew. Can't believe that he knew and let her stay...” He looked up at Cassidy. “What about you? Did you know? When you met her?”

 

“No.”

 

“And now? What are you gonna do with all of this?”

 

“I'm going to tell her,” Cassidy replied. “When she's doing better, I'll tell her. I might need your help, though.”

 

“Genesis?”

 

“Mhm... if it gets too rough.”

 

Jesse nodded, then he had an idea. “Maybe you don't need to tell her.”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“Why don't I use Genesis and erase her memory? Completely? I can give her a completely new identity, new memories, new everything.”

 

Tulip gaped at him, just like Cassidy. “Jesse Custer, have you lost your mind? You can't do that.”

 

Cassidy agreed. “You're not God. You can't just erase people and create new ones. Kristina is who she is, because of everything that happened to her. Don't you dare change her.”

 

“But you're about to change her.”

 

“What the bloody hell do you mean?”

 

“Telling her about all of this? Showing it to her? You really think that's not going to change her? Here, look at this... Mikhail even wrote about it. It is going to change her. She might be a completely different person afterwards. Which way do you think will be better and less dangerous? My way or your way?”

 

Tulip shook her head. “I agree with Cassidy, Jesse. She needs to see that letter. Maybe she doesn't necessarily need to know about these barf-worthy details, but he can't keep the most important things from her. She's been deceived and lied to enough.”

 

“What the fuck is all this shouting about?” Mika stood in the doorway, eyes barely open, holding her head, as the other three froze and looked at her with wide eyes. “My head feels like it's splitting in half, so could we maybe keep it down a bit?”

 

Cassidy quickly jogged over to her and turned her around while he made a waving motion behind his back, silently telling the other two to pack up the notes. “Ooooh, of course, luv. Sorry. You get back in bed now, I'll get you your pills, tea and something to eat. I'll just be a minute.” He guided her back into the bedroom and pushed her to lay back down on the bed. “Close your eyes, sweetheart. I'll be right back.”

 

He went back to the kitchen to get her a very, very late breakfast. Even though the three of them disagreed on how to handle the situation, at least they all agreed on the fact, that Mika didn't have to learn the truth right away. She had lived a lie for 35 years, so another week or two wouldn't hurt.

 

* * *

 

After having taken her pain pills and having eaten something, Mika fell back asleep and slept through the night until the next morning. She felt much better then and even went out to have breakfast at a diner with Cassidy.

 

They sat down at a booth in the back, far away from the windows, and Cassidy watched on with a big grin on his face, as Mika ordered pretty much half the menu. Her appetite was back with a vengeance. She practically inhaled a stack of pancakes, chicken and waffles and some eggs, before she felt halfway satisfied and was able to slow down and actually carry a conversation.

 

“You just made yourself sick, you know that, don't you, luv?”

 

“Worth it,” Mika chuckled as she leaned back with her coffee in hand. “I wanted to talk to you about something.”

 

“Let's hear it, then.”

 

“How would you like leaving Annville? Together, I mean?”

 

Cassidy's brows knit in confusion. “Why do you wanna leave? Threat's gone now, isn't it?”

 

“It is... One threat at least...” She looked around and made sure that nobody else was around to listen to them. “You know that Jesse has this weird angel phone?”

 

“Yeah, I saw that.”

 

“He wants to call God,... I don't know, Cass. I just don't have a good feeling about it. I would like to be as far away from that as possible, to be honest with you.”

 

“What about Jesse? I thought you wanted to stay close to him.”

 

“I want to stay close to **you**. Jesse is my brother and he'll always be in my life, one way or another, but there's so much shit going on around us... and who's to say, that he is going to stay close, once he gets bored again? I think we should get out of here and start new somewhere else. And wherever we go, I'm not going to be Mika Blake anymore. Henry is going to hook me up with his guy who can get me a new ID, new passport, new certificates, etc. I wanna be myself again and I can't do that here.”

 

“You wanna go back to Russia?”

 

“Nooo! No, not at all. I think we can stay in the country. Just somewhere else than freaking Texas. So... what do you think?”

 

“You know I'd follow you to the end of the world, luv. Even if you'd wanna go back to Russia, I'd be in.”

 

“Really?” Mika smiled brightly at him, making Cassidy's heart skip a beat.

 

“Really.”

 

Mika leaned over the table and planted a big kiss on his lips. “Thank you. I love you. And you coming with me really would help me get over your little vanishing act.”

 

“All the more reason to do it. And I love you, too. I really do, luv,” he grinned. “By the way, you haven't even noticed yet, have you?”

 

“Noticed what?”

 

“This!” Cassidy held up his left hand, showing her his newest tattoo.

 

“No, you didn't!” Mika laughed and pulled his hand closer. “When did that happen?”

 

“In Dallas... missed you too bloody much, I had to do it. Made me feel closer to you somehow.”

 

“Good thing I'm changing my name back, huh?”

 

“You like it?”

 

“I love it. Yeah, I really do... It's nice seeing my name on you. Sexy. Good job, babe,” she smirked and kissed the tattoo, before she let him have his hand back. “I need a last name, though. I don't wanna go back to Semenov or Petrov.”

 

“Does it have to be Russian? Or would you consider something else?” Cassidy asked as he used his fork to play around with the eggs on his plate. He wasn't very hungry.

 

“Nothing Russian. I'm making that a rule,” Mika replied around a mouthful of bacon.

 

“Hm,...” Cassidy grunted, before he caught her gaze with his and smiled. “How about Cassidy, then? Kristina Cassidy sounds nice. It's got a ring to it, doesn't it? We could go somewhere new and be the nice, newlywed couple that's just moved in.”

 

Mika shook her head. “It does sound nice, but I've had enough of fake marriages for now, babe.”

 

Cassidy nodded and pursed his lips, before he gave a little shrug. “Who says it would have to be fake, luv?”

 

“Proinsias Cassidy, are you asking me to marry you?” Mika had her eyes narrowed, but her broad smile betrayed how she really felt about that prospect.

 

“Nooo,” he chuckled. “Not officially. Not yet. I'm just letting you know, that it would be an option.”

 

“Okay, good to know,” she giggled. “But I'm not going to take your name until we explore that option, so I still need a new last name until then. I'm thinkiiiiing... ummm... geez, I don't know. How's Sawyer sound?”

 

“Not bad... Oh, I know! What's your favorite TV character?”

 

“Oh, that's not gonna work. I've got quite a few.”

 

“Name some,” Cassidy urged her.

 

“Okay, Lucifer Morningstar, but I think we can safely strike that as an option. Who else? Martin Riggs from Lethal Weapon. Oh and Martin Ellingham from Doc Martin. Uuuhhh, Dexter Morgan!”

 

“You seem to have an affinity to the letter M, luv,” Cassidy observed. “I quite like Kristina Morgan, but since you like two characters by the name of Martin, maybe that's what you should go with.”

 

“Kristina Martin? Yeah... I think I could get used to that,” Mika smiled.

 

“It's settled, then,” Cassidy smiled and lifted his coffee cup to make a toast. “To you, my love. Ms Kristina Martin. Now we only need to figure out where we wanna go.”

 

“Voodoo Doughnut!” Mika snapped her fingers as the idea suddenly popped into her head.

 

“You wanna live in a Voodoo Doughnut?”

 

“Christ, that would be amazing. Live in the store? Or right above it with a staircase connecting our place with the store? Good Lord, I think I just had an orgasm just thinking about it,” Mika laughed.

 

“Right... The magic's in the hole, eh? Couldn't agree more,” he winked with a dirty grin.

 

Mika laughed out loud and softly kicked him under the table. “Dirty fucker... Seriously, though. What about Portland?”

 

“I've been there before. It's nice. People are friendly. Lots of livestock in those backyards... good for healing. There's a lot less sunshine than here, that's a bonus. Walking around with an umbrella all day is nothing out of the ordinary in that city,” Cassidy replied thoughtfully.

 

“You're right. That gives me an idea. Let's google America's least sunny cities. I don't like the sun much myself. I wouldn't mind watching gray skies for the majority of the year.” She pulled out her phone and opened the app. “Okay, let's see. Juneau, Alaska is number 1. Only 30% sunshine on average.”

 

“What else is on there?”

 

“Mt. Washington, Quillayute, Elkins, Anchorage... Portland's on the list, too. But it's only number 20. Still not too bad, though, right?”

 

“Could be worse,” Cassidy agreed.

 

Mika put her phone away and gave him her brightest smile and puppy dog eyes. “Cass? Will you run away with me to Portland, please? We won't have to stay there forever. If we don't like it, we can just move on.”

 

Cassidy took her hand and kissed it sweetly. “I'm in, sweetheart. Absolutely. When do you wanna leave?”

 

“As soon as possible. As soon as Henry's guy is done setting up my new identity. Maybe in a week or two?”

 

Cassidy swallowed hard, but nodded. “Sounds good.”

 

It didn't really, but only because it meant, that he would have to show her the letter sooner rather than later. He wanted Jesse around, in case she reacted badly. Also, he thought it would be kind of fitting for her to start her new life with a new sense of self. This time knowing exactly who she was and who she wanted to be, before they started fresh.

 

* * *

 

“Holy shit... oh good God, Cassidy... You're killing me, baby,” Mika moaned as she gripped the headboard hard enough to make her fingers hurt.

 

Cassidy grinned against her. He loved making her lose her precious control. He let his tongue dart out of his mouth again, teasing the tip of it along her slit, tickling her sinfully, before he pressed it flat against her and licked her from bottom to top in one long stroke. Her taste exploded on his tongue, making him groan deeply in delight, which in turn had Mika squirm even harder.

 

 

“More, baby... Please... Oh God...” Mika moaned and cried out as a hard wave of pleasure suddenly ripped through her body. Cassidy's tongue had found her clit. It felt fucking amazing when he gave it little licks with just the tip of his tongue, hitting all the right spots over and over again. Mika's hips started bucking up against his mouth uncontrollably with every little touch.

 

Cassidy chuckled quietly, enjoying himself and her reactions to the fullest. Two of his long fingers circled her opening, relishing the wetness he had caused with his skilled ministrations. He slowly pushed them inside, thrusting them in deeply at the same time as his lips closed around her sensitive bundle of nerves.

 

“Oh fuck... Cass!” Mika called out his name and arched her back, pushing herself against him harder. One of her hands found its way to his hair, gripping and tugging it hard, making him growl against her. That made her move her hips even more erratically, causing Cassidy to press one of his strong hands down on her abdomen, holding her in place.

 

“Baby, please... it's so good, please don't stop,” she begged him breathlessly. It was music to his ears. He suckled on her clit, making her shudder hard, as his fingers kept thrusting and twisting inside of her rhythmically. She was close, he felt it by the way her wet, silky walls kept clamping down on his fingers harder and harder. He let the hand on her abdomen slide up to her breasts, blindly cupping one of the soft globes, squeezing possessively and pinching her nipple between his fingers.

 

Mika groaned loudly. She tugged on his hair even harder as she ground her pelvis against his face, now that he was no longer holding her down. Then, from one second to the next, she grew completely quiet and still. Her breath hitched in her throat before her body came undone. Her orgasm tore through her hard enough to have her claw at Cassidy's arm, leaving thick, red marks on it as her body convulsed and shuddered while waves of pleasure rolled through her.

 

“Jesus fucking Christ,” she panted as she started to come back to planet Earth. “And a good morning to you, too.”

 

Cassidy kissed her hard, before he grinned down at her. “Best way to wake up, eh?”

 

“No arguments there... wow...”

 

“Hungry?”

 

“Always,” Mika replied, still trying to catch her breath.

 

She got another kiss, then Cassidy crawled out of bed. “Alright. You stay here, I'll get us something.”

 

“You're amazing. Thanks, but I am gonna take a quick trip to the bathroom.”

 

She got out of bed as well and grabbed some clean clothes. While Cassidy fixed some breakfast, she quickly took a shower and got dressed in an oversized shirt and a fresh pair of panties.

 

“Jess already gone?” She asked her lover as they met back up in the bedroom.

 

“Yeah, heard him leave half an hour ago. He's got that community outreach thing, I think. Coffee?”

 

“Yeah, thanks. How'd you sleep?”

 

“Really well. You?”

 

“Same here... Hey, remember when we had breakfast at the diner a couple of days ago? When we talked about maybe getting married one day?”

 

“Sure. What about it, luv?”

 

“I had a dream about it and I'm not sure I liked what I saw.”

 

“One of your prophetic dreams?” Cassidy stared at her with wide eyes, but Mika quickly shook her head no.

 

“No, nothing like that. Just a regular dream, I think. I was really old and you still looked the same.”

 

“Ah, right...” Cassidy nodded. “That's giving you trouble?”

 

“Yeah, actually... I don't wanna be an old hag and you still look as hot as you do now.”

 

Cassidy didn't say anything.

 

Mika frowned and sighed. “Anyway, how old were you when you became a vampire?”

 

“30.”

 

“Jesus... I've already aged five more years than you. I'm not necessarily vain, but I think I might develop some issues about that.”

 

Once again, Cassidy stayed mum.

 

“Cass? Babe? You okay?”

 

“Yeah...” he cleared his throat uncomfortably. “Say... I've been wondering... how much do you remember from your childhood in Russia?”

 

Mika crinkled her forehead at his sudden change of topic. She was caught off guard and therefore a little confused, so she didn't call him out on it. “I'd say pretty much everything. Why?”

 

“Are you sure about that?”

 

“Yeah, why wouldn't I be?”

 

“Dunno... you lived with your grandmother, right? In that cabin?”

 

“I did...” she answered slowly, genuinely curious where this was going.

 

“You two get along?”

 

Mika suddenly got a bad feeling, especially when she noticed the nervousness and anxiety in his aura. “Why do you ask?”

 

“I was just wondering. It was just the two of you, most of the time, right? You must have been close.”

 

“No,” Mika stated, her voice growing cold. “She was not a good person. I'm not sure I would call her a person to begin with.”

 

Cassidy felt his heart stop beating for a moment as the feeling of dread bubbled up inside of him. Did she actually remember what her grandmother had done after all? He felt like throwing up. He had never been a coward, but he really didn't want to have this talk with her... but now he'd started to lead them down this road, now he would have to see this through to the end.

 

“What happened?” he asked carefully.

 

“I don't wanna talk about it, Cass,” Mika stated gruffly, before she slammed her coffee down on the tray he'd brought in earlier, spilling the hot brew in the process. “Thanks for the coffee, but I think I'll just grab a macchiato on the way to the store,” she told him as she made her way out of bed and went to the closet to grab a pair of jeans.

 

“Afraid you're gonna have to talk about it, luv.”

 

“Really? And why is that? Why do I get the feeling that you know something you shouldn't have any knowledge of whatsoever?”

 

“Because I do.”

 

She had suspected it, but his confirmation still threw her for a loop. She actually got dizzy for a moment and slightly fell back against the closet. “How?” she wanted to know. “Can you read my memories now or something? When we're connected?”

 

“No,” Cassidy shook his head. He'd gone as white as the wall. He was sure now, that Mika did indeed remember the horrible things her grandmother had done to her. “Henry told me.”

 

“Henry??? How the hell would he know about my grandmother? I never told him anything about her.”

 

“You didn't, but your dad did.”

 

“What? My dad??? He didn't even know Henry. Cassidy, what the hell is going on?”

 

“Come on, sit down.” He gently pulled her back over to the bed and made her sit down. He sat next to her and took her hands in his, taking a moment to think about how to tell her what he knew. “Sweetheart... your grandmother... she did things to you,... really bad things, didn't she?”

 

He felt her grip his hands tightly as all color drained from her face. She stayed silent for a minute, gathering the courage to tell him what had happened to her. She had never told anyone and for some reason, she was afraid of telling him. She knew she wasn't perfect, but right now, in his eyes, she still was. She didn't want him to see her as what she truly was: a horribly damaged girl, that had the impossible dream of being normal and living her life the way she chose to.

 

“Once a year,” Mika murmured eventually, “every year on my birthday, she'd hurt me...she would break some bones, mostly my fingers and/or wrists, cut me badly, make me bleed until I passed out, I guess. I remember waking up in various stages of pain and healing, my voice gone from screaming so much, begging to have it all stop... It got worse every year. The older I got, the more time it took for me to recover.”

 

“Jesus, luv...” Cassidy was unable to control the tears that sprang to his eyes. Mikhail had written about her grandmother injuring her, but hearing it in detail from her own lips... it was heart-breaking and gut-wrenching. It hurt... unbelievably so. That's why he hadn't looked at the notes in Henry's box yet. He knew he wouldn't be able to bear it.

 

“Yeah... I still don't celebrate my birthday... just in case you were wondering. It's always been the day I've wanted to die the most, but never got to,” Mika explained, her voice sounding tired and hoarse.

 

Cassidy let go of her hands. He wrapped both his arms around her and hugged her so hard, that he came close to crushing her. Mika held on to him for dear life as they sat there in silence for a long while and Cassidy cried silent tears for the little girl the love of his life had once been.

 

“Do you know why she did that to you?” Cassidy sniffed as he loosened his grip on her and let her breathe properly again.

 

“She always said that she wanted to get rid of the devil in me. That she had to weaken it and that I'd be better for it. I guess she had the crazy notion that breaking my body and bleeding me near dry would get rid of my abilities... Well, they did grow a bit weaker over the years, so maybe she wasn't entirely wrong,” Mika said with a small, humorless laugh.

 

Cassidy debated on whether he should let her read the letter first or if he should be the one to tell her everything he knew before he'd give her the envelope. He quickly decided to go with the second option. If it would be him in her shoes, he'd want to hear it from her first and let the letter explain the rest.

 

“You're right, luv,... she wasn't entirely wrong.”

 

“How do you know? No, wait... Henry told you, but how did he know my father?”

 

“He didn't. Before he left for San Francisco, your da' wrote a letter to John Custer. Jesse's dad then gave it to Henry, when he arrived in town..., and in Dallas, Henry gave it to me.”

 

Mika's eyes widened. “You have a letter from my dad? I want to see it.”

 

“You will. Later.”

 

“Why did Henry never tell me about it? What's it say?”

 

“Henry thought it would be better if you didn't know. He thought you might not remember the things your grandmother did. He wanted to protect you... and protect himself, I reckon.”

 

“Protect himself from what? It would be better if I didn't know what? Christ, Cass, just tell me, please?”

 

Cassidy rubbed his face hard and took three deep breaths, before he was able to go on. “There's no good way to tell you all this, luv, so I'm just gonna go ahead and say it... Mikhail was not your father, sweetheart.”

 

Mika's brows furrowed. She looked like she hadn't understood a word he'd just said. Like he'd suddenly switched from English to Dutch.

 

“What?”

 

“He wasn't your dad. He was V.E.M., like Henry.”

 

Mika knew she should have been shocked, she most certainly was surprised, but somehow the revelation didn't blow her away.

 

“Huh... that makes sense, I suppose,” Mika said in a surprisingly calm voice.

 

“I guess so,” Cassidy agreed. “You okay, luv?”

 

“I think I am... I don't know yet... My mind is racing with all sorts of questions right now. I can't really focus on one single thing at the moment. Okay, so what happened to my real father? Did my dad... I mean, did Mikhail know him or know what happened to him?”

 

Cassidy seemed uncomfortable as he rubbed the back of his head. “Errmm... yeah.”

 

“So?” Mika urged him to continue, but Cassidy just wouldn't speak. She felt like screaming and shaking him. “Cassidy!”

 

“Alright! Alright... I'm going to tell you, just... don't interrupt me until I'm finished. I just need to get it out.”

 

“Fine. As long as you finally get to it.”

 

“Your grandmother did try to get the devil out of you... She succeeded in part. Not really, it's still in you, but... she diminished your powers... she made you forget...”

 

'Forget what', Mika wanted to shout impatiently, but she had promised not to interrupt him. Her knee was bouncing up and down at a rapid pace, though,... she was going mad with his beating around the bush.

 

Suddenly Cassidy took a very long, deep breath, before it all rushed out of him in one long sentence.

 

“The Earl is your father, he injected his blood in your mum's belly, while she was pregnant with you and as a result, you're like us... not completely, but you are some kind of half-vampire that was made to forget that she was a half-vampire, but the fact is... Shite, luv... you're like me... you're part vampire.” Cassidy's shoulders slumped in relief for a short moment, glad that he'd finally spit it out.

 

Mika stared at him in silence with wide eyes.

 

“Luv?” Cassidy felt like shit when, after half a minute, he noticed that her chin and lips started trembling. He just couldn't stand to see her cry. “Sweetheart, it's alri-”

 

He didn't get to finish his sentence.

 

Mika burst out laughing.

 

* * *

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading. Who saw this coming? :)


	13. Chapter 13

_John, my dear friend,_

 

_you reading this means, that I was unsuccessful in my attempt to create a normal life for the little girl that will forever have my heart. It also means, that from now on, I will need your help more than ever. Mika will need your help more than ever, because now, you and Jesse are the only family she has left._

_I am so sorry, John, but I have kept things from you, and maybe I should have continued to keep them from you, but right now, as I prepare to face the Earl for a second time, I feel like I should tell you the truth about my Mika._

 

_You already know, that Mika is not my daughter. What you don't know is, that her biological father is the very creature I am trying to protect her from. Yes John, I am afraid you read that right. The vampire known as “the Earl” is Mika's father._

_Her mother, Cassandra, did not die giving birth to her, that was a lie as well. However, she was close to death when we arrived and I killed her, before the Earl had the chance to turn her. I had the chance to kill him, too, that night we took Mika from him, but I failed. For all our efforts, our organization is so incredibly poorly informed about these creatures. Holy water does not burn them and a wooden stake to the heart does not turn them to ashes. I did not know that and therefore Robia, Mika's grandmother, and I barely escaped with our lives. We had the element of surprise on our side, as well as the advantage that he was distracted by the death of his beloved Cassandra. It was a very close call, but thankfully we were able to escape not just with our lives, but with Mika, too._

 

_Shortly before I was able to injure the Earl badly enough to be able to escape, he told me that none of us would ever be a match for his daughter. That he had injected her with his blood in-utero and that this destined her to be an extraordinary being. I disregarded this “warning” as the delusional ramblings of a highly narcissistic and deranged creature. We ran, we hid Mika well and lied to her in order to be able to raise her as normally as possible._

 

_Unfortunately raising her normally did not turn out to be an option. People were drawn to this baby. No one was able to just walk past her, she put everyone under her spell. Including me. Protecting her hadn't been my mission. Taking care of the vampire had been my duty and I had to keep him from creating more vampires, therefore I had to kill Cassandra. A deed, which still haunts me to this day, trust me on that. Protection however, was not in my job description. Still, I found myself unable to just hand that baby girl over to her grandmother and be on my merry way._

 

_I accompanied them to temporary safety. During our trip, the Earl's words kept nagging at me, more and more with each person who stopped and just 'had to' take a look at the baby. Something was different about her and with each day I realized, that the Earl had not lied. He had done something to her and she was not the average human being. The moment I accepted that, it became my sworn duty to kill Mika as well._

 

_I swore to do good, to help humanity and save it from the evil forces of vampires... how does killing an innocent, beautiful little baby girl contribute to any of that? It doesn't. That's what I decided for myself and that's when I started lying to the V.E.M.._

 

_Robia sensed my initial turmoil. She, too, soon realized that Mika simply couldn't be among other people. The attention would have gotten us caught very, very quickly. She told me, that she would take Mika far away and raise her isolated from civilization. Not the best prospect for a child, but she would live and she would be with family. I agreed and helped them flee to a remote location in Russia. Robia knew of a cabin deep in the woods close to the Finnish border. No one would ever find them there, except for me. I came back to the States, but I flew there to visit as much as I could._

 

_Mika's mental abilities quickly became apparent to her grandmother. It wasn't just people who were drawn to her, but animals as well. They kept surrounding the cabin, which made for easy hunting for Robia and I was relieved that they never had to go hungry. It gave me some peace of mind. Things seemed to be going alright. So far, apart from the mental thing, there seemed to be nothing “vampiric” about her. Unfortunately that changed when Mika was three years old._

 

_She had gotten away from her grandmother and had wandered off into the woods. At some point she must have fallen and had injured her leg. Robia soon found her, covered in blood, but not her own. She was feeding off a rabbit and Robia was able to watch her leg heal up in mere seconds. When she told me on my next visit, I was horrified. I couldn't believe it, although deep down I knew it to be true. She had kept Mika locked up for observation, but she didn't display any changes or any bloodlust whatsoever, so after a couple of days, they kept on living their lives. Or so I thought._

 

_I left, my mind relatively at ease. Mika couldn't hurt anyone, she was just with her grandmother, who seemed impervious to Mika's abilities (something I definitely should have paid more attention to, in hindsight), they didn't have the best life, obviously, but they were fairly comfortable and most importantly, they were safe. I did the right thing, I kept telling myself. Leaving her with her grandmother was the best option, I kept telling myself. She was with family... the best place to be, right?_

 

_I didn't realize my mistake until many years later. Too many years. My God, John... We think vampires are monsters and we forget how big of a monster a single human being can be. Why did I leave her with Robia? That woman had rubbed me the wrong way, right from the start. Why didn't I listen to my instincts? Why wasn't I able to spare Mika all that torment that woman inflicted on her?_

 

_Almost six years she experimented on her own granddaughter. She started after the rabbit incident, when Mika was only three years old. I found out what had been going on when I popped in for a surprise visit on Mika's ninth birthday._

 

_I will never forget her screams. Not even in death. How do they describe it in literature? Bloodcurdling, I think is the word I'm looking for. As I neared the cabin, I heard Mika scream in agony, I felt her pain more and more, the closer I got. It was crippling. I ran as fast as I could, I thought for sure, that the Earl had found them. Nothing could have ever prepared me for what I found, when I entered that cabin. Robia had Mika strapped to the table in just a pair of underwear. I can't bring myself to even write down what Robia had done to my little girl. There was so much blood... she had injured her badly, John. Even now as I write it, I can't believe that it truly happened, but I saw it with my own eyes and my nightmares about that day are still as vivid as if it happened only yesterday._

 

_I knew I had to get her out of there, but unfortunately, I wasn't able to take her straight away. You can't just smuggle a girl that doesn't exist into the Unites States. I had to get papers first and it took some time. Then, suddenly, reports came in to the V.E.M.. The Earl had arrived in Russia and I knew he would only be there for one purpose: finding his daughter. I was able to expedite the papers, I was officially allowed to go back and finish him off once and for all. Only that I didn't go there trying to kill him. I went there to get Mika and give her a better life. But not before I left some clues in the village about where to find Robia's cabin. I was tempted to kill her for what she did myself, but I left her for the Earl._

 

_That's the true story of how Mika and I came to live with you. I hope you can forgive me for keeping Mika's secret from you. Robia called her a hybrid. She is not entirely vampire, but she is not entirely human, either. She's both. At the early stages of her experiments, Robia tested out the effects that drinking blood had on Mika. You can read the notes yourself, the details are in there, but bottom line is, the more she feeds on blood, the more powerful she becomes. According to Robia's diaries, she even had fangs and after a little while of regular feedings there was an increased sensitivity to sunlight._

 

_Robia came to the conclusion, that if Mika would already be that powerful at age 4 or 5, that she would grow up to be a way too powerful and dangerous being later on. That's when the darker stages of her experiments began. Every year, on Mika's birthday, she would “measure” how much her powers had diminished without any feedings and by making her loose large amounts of blood._

 

_Mika lost her influence on animals, she became prone to sickness and healing took a long time. Still, (and thankfully) even without feeding on blood, the physical scars from Robia's experiments were completely gone by the time she was 12 years old. Another result of the experiments was, that using her mental abilities on her grandmother and me became harder for her. It's why she had the hardest time when we came here. She wasn't able to deal with all the influences. I have to be honest with you, John, I was very tempted to give her blood, so she could grow stronger and work through everything faster. In the end, I didn't. I didn't want to risk anything. Even with regular feedings, she hadn't craved blood, but I simply didn't want to take any chances with you and Jesse and Tulip around._

 

_This is hard to digest, I know, but please, John, Mika is still the same person. She doesn't know what she is. She has no clue. She would never harm any of you, at least not if she doesn't find out what she is. Don't tell her. I think it would change her forever, so please don't. Please don't shut her out. She needs you. All of you. Please. As a last favor to me, even though I probably didn't earn it. Please take care of her._

 

_I left money for her care. You'll find the key to the safety deposit box at the bottom of the box which contains Robia's diaries, as well as my translations._

 

_I am sure the V.E.M. will send another guardian for her. You cannot tell them that she is a vampire or part-vampire. They will kill her. Please John. Please. After I took her to the States with me, it took me a lot of time and effort to convince them, that she needed protection and to let me stay with her. Please don't leave her without that protection._

 

_I am begging you with all I've got. She might not be my biological daughter, but I love her like she is my own._

 

_Please John._

 

_Thank you for everything. I will forever be indebted to you._

 

_Sincerely,_

 

_Mikhail Petrov (or as you used to know me, my old friend, James Malloy)_

 

* * *

 

Mika wasn't laughing anymore.

 

Cassidy was very happy about that. Well, not really happy, as in “happy happy”, but more like “relieved happy”. For a moment he had been panicked about the fact, that she might have had a huge nervous breakdown, which wouldn't have been surprising, but still...

 

“Seriously? Fucking seriously? Like this isn't hard enough already?” she had kept asking as incredulous laughter had kept bubbling up inside of her, before she had started to calm down and had just sagged against him like a sack of potatoes.

 

Now she sat between Cassidy's legs, leaning against his chest, as she read the letter for the third time. Cass gently stroked his fingertips along her arms and gave her as much time as she needed to process what she had read.

 

“Don't really know what I'm supposed to say,” she whispered hoarsely after a while.

 

“I don't think you're 'supposed' to say anything, luv,” Cassidy gently murmured against the top of her head.

 

“I can't even stand the smell of blood...” Mika explained, “I threw up after we burned the angel corpses...”

 

“That's not unusual. I'm not fond of it, either. Taste could be better, too.”

 

“I didn't mind the taste,” she remembered out loud. “It actually... That night, when I had yours... it... Christ...”

 

“What?”

 

“It almost made me... umm... it... turned me on,... quite a bit,” she admitted and was glad that she wasn't facing him in that moment, because she felt her cheeks burning. It was ridiculous to be embarrassed about it, she knew that, but it was how she felt.

 

Cassidy's forehead crinkled as he thought back to the moments after she had punched him that night. His eyebrows raised reflexively as he remembered her sexy groan at tasting his blood. A little grin developed on his lips as he remembered how hot and bothered she had gotten and how intensely she had kissed him. Damn, and the way she had sat on top of him, her eyes glazed over with lust, her lips swollen and stained with his blood, her chest rising and falling rapidly...

 

_'Ooohh, bad idea. Down boy!'_ Cassidy shook his head and sobered up. Now was not the time to get a boner and attack her.

 

“Right... I remember,” he stated in a serious tone of voice, after he had cleared his throat. “What's in the letter is true, though, isn't it? After you had some of my blood, you started being able to send and receive thoughts. It does make you stronger...”

 

“Yeah. Better enjoy it while it lasts, baby. Seems like it's gonna go away again after a while.”

 

“If you don't feed... yeah...” Cassidy mentioned carefully. He didn't want it to go away again. He wanted her to feed. If she did, she would probably learn to stay connected to him 24/7 so much easier and quicker than without the help of blood.

 

“Hm...” she grunted quietly as she stared at the letter.

 

“How do you feel, luv?” he asked as he gently wrapped his arms around her and slowly rocked her from side to side a bit.

 

“I don't know. I'm a mess inside right now.”

 

“Let me feel? Please?”

 

Mika connected their minds and Cassidy started feeling confused, a bit numb, cold, angry and more. It truly was a mess. No wonder that she wasn't able to tell how she felt. She was all over the place.

 

_'I'm nothing but a fucked up science project,'_ Cassidy heard her say in his head. The sadness her words came with almost killed him.

 

“Don't say that, luv,” Cassidy frowned at her as she turned her head to look up at him.

 

“Why not? I was nothing but a guinea pig to my family.”

 

“Not to Mikhail... or James or whoever the hell he really was. He really, really loved you, luv."

 

"He killed my mother."

 

"Yes, but still... He died trying to make things better for you. And you weren't a guinea pig to Jesse, or to his Dad, or to Tulip...”

 

“Because they never knew, except for Mikhail... or James... God, I just wanna... I don't know. I don't know what I want,” Mika said, her voice sounding just as exhausted as she felt. “It sounds like I'm not even Russian,... Where was I born? Where was my mother from? Where was my grandmother from? I don't know anything about myself.”

 

“You didn't... now you do, sweetheart. Now you know what you really are, now you can decide who you want to be in Portland.”

 

“You mean **what** I want to be... You're happy about this.” It wasn't a question. She felt the excitement through their connection.

 

Cassidy sighed unhappily. “It's not like that. Being a vampire sucks, but being with you and not have you die on me in 50 years or so... that doesn't suck. I'm not happy you've been lied to your entire life. I'm not happy that you had to go through everything your grandmother did,... but I can't say that I'm unhappy about the fact, that the person I love most in the world, is like me... or can be like me. The way I read it, I think the more you feed, the more vampire you become. No more aging... You wouldn't have to worry about being an old hag next to me... That's an upside, isn't it?”

 

“We don't even know if that's how it works... We'd have to do our own experiments... Guinea pig once more...”

 

“Don't say that, luv, for God's sakes,... it would make life a bit easier on you. Drinking blood, I mean. It would be good experiments this time,” he smiled encouragingly after he kissed the tip of her nose. “They would be good for you. They would help you. And I for one, wouldn't mind having you feed on me. You didn't need much at all to be able to do the telepathy thing. Just a spoonful of blood a day, keeps the headaches away,” he grinned with excitement.

 

“Good Lord... Please, Cass... I don't want to think about that right now. What I'm more interested in is why they did everything in their power to keep me away from my real father. It sounds like he loved my mother, so I think, that he wasn't really going to kill me or anything.”

 

“The V.E.M. is supposed to keep more vampires from popping up, aren't they? They obviously didn't think you were going to be born part vampire. They maybe wanted to keep him from turning you? Or maybe he was planning something. Using your powers for himself or something. I don't know.”

 

“How did my grandmother know about the V.E.M.? How did she know Mikhail?”

 

“I don't know, luv. I'm sorry, but I'm afraid those questions won't ever get answered, now that all of them are dead.”

 

“Great. I just loved unsolved mysteries,” Mika sighed. “They don't drive me insane at all!”

 

“It'll be alright, luv,” Cassidy sweetly kissed her temple.

 

They fell silent. Mika put the letter aside and snuggled deeper into Cass' embrace. She closed her eyes and let his presence and calming influence on her relax her.

 

* * *

 

She had no sense of time, she didn't know how long they had sat there in silence for, but in the end she had calmed down enough to be able to see a tiny light at the end of the tunnel. She had Cassidy. He was her support system, her rock, in all of this, no matter he pushy he sometimes got about getting her to test out and develop her abilities further. At the end of the day, he had her back and supported whatever decision she would make, she was sure of that.

 

Mika lifted her left arm up a little, so that she could take a closer look at it.

 

_'My dad was right... There's no scars anymore. I remember them having been there, when I was younger. I never even really paid attention to the fact that they've been completely gone for years now.'_

 

_'Perks of being a vampire. It just took them so long to fade completely, because you never fed.'_

 

_'Right, that makes sense, I suppose. It all makes sense now, doesn't it?'_ Mika gave a little sigh while she thought it.

 

_'It does.'_ Cassidy couldn't help but smile, because he felt a sense of relief and content coming from her through their connection. She was doing alright with everything she had learned. His grin widened, when he felt something else: curiosity.  _'You do wanna know what you can do, don't you, sweetheart?'_

 

_'Yeah, I do. I mean, I was able to influence animals? How cool is that?'_ Suddenly she inhaled sharply and stared at him with wide eyes. “I can cuddle a panther!!!”

 

Cassidy laughed out loud at that. He laughed even more when Mika grabbed the picture of Janet Jackson and the panther off the wall and grinned at it with the words “Hell yeah, baby, I'm coming for you!”

 

He pulled at her, until she was cradled in his arms like a baby, and kissed her, over and over again, chuckling and smiling against her lips the whole time.  _'Goddammit, panda, I bloody love you. You'll never truly know how much.'_

 

_'Weeeeeell, babe, I got a pretty good idea, remember? I actually feel how much you love me right this second.'_

 

_'You don't have a romantic bone in your beautiful, little body, do you, luv?'_

 

_'Nope, I'm too pragmatic, I'm afraid.'_

 

_'That's alright. You're cute, that helps,'_ Cassidy thought, making both of them laugh.

 

“You're lucky, you're cute, too,” Mika said out loud as she fought her way out of his embrace, so she could sit up again properly. “Okay, I think I'm gonna go to the store now. Some retail therapy probably won't hurt.”

 

“I think that's for clothes and not for groceries, luv.”

 

“I hate shopping for clothes. Groceries is how I roll. And the real therapy will be the intense cooking and baking session I'm gonna have after I come back.”

 

“Want me to come with you?”

 

Mika thought about it for a moment before she replied. She would love some time alone, but she hadn't been out and about a lot and the last time she went anywhere by herself, she'd had some serious anxiety attacks. “Yeah, I'd love for you to come with me. Thanks, babe. Afterwards, I'm gonna need a little time to myself, though.”

 

Cassidy didn't like the sound of the last part much, but he understood. “No problem... and you're very welcome, luv.”

 

For now Cass was happy and relaxed. He was immensely glad, that the truth was out now and that everything would be fine. Mika was doing great with everything, so he was very optimistic, that it would stay that way. 

 

_'Everything's going to be fine.'_

 

Later, in hindsight, he would find out, how naive it had been of him to think that.

 

* * *

 


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay. The whole family caught a stomach bug. Fun times.
> 
> Hope you enjoy this chapter. If you did, I'd be thrilled if you'd let me know. Much love to everyone!

 

 

Mika sighed deeply and leaned back against the wall after she had clicked the “save” icon for the last time. She was finally done translating the last entries of her grandmother Robia's journals. The ones Mikhail hadn't been able to finish translating, due to his untimely demise.

 

She had thought she'd feel more... satisfied, for lack of a better word, once she would have read everything there was to read in those journals. Now she found out, that, unfortunately, that wasn't the case.

 

Yes, the entries had provided some answers and some insights, but in the end, they had left Mika with even more questions.

 

At least she knew a little bit more about herself. For one, she most certainly wasn't Russian. That's why it had taken her a long time to (roughly) translate those last entries. Her grandmother hadn't written them in Russian, but in Romanian. She also knew, that she had died at least 5 times. Her grandmother hadn't shied away from the risk of killing her permanently during her experiments. She had let her bleed until she'd had no pulse and no detectable heartbeat.

 

It had taken a while, especially the last two times, and she had been weak for weeks afterwards, but eventually, her vampire DNA had let her heal and come back, even without having been fed any blood.

 

What Mika still didn't quite understand was, why she wasn't immune to disease. If she was able to reanimate like a freaking zombie after days of being dead, why wasn't she able to fight off a common cold? She would love not getting sick. She would love to get rid of the headaches her abilities came with. Would that stop if she fed a little every once in a while? That's what Cassidy seemed to think.

 

_'Cassidy...'_ Mika's heart skipped a beat when she thought about him. She had been so busy with the translations, that she hadn't spent any time with him in the past couple of days. A smile found its way to her lips as she decided to go find him, to get a hug and a kiss. He was the best hugger and the very best kisser. She couldn't wait to hide in his arms and breathe him in. 

 

But it would have to wait, she realized as she closed her laptop and looked around.

 

_'Eeewww, did I do that?'_ The space around her was a mess of empty water and Coke Zero bottles, countless candy and granola bar wrappers, some of her pillows, her blanket and all the documents from Henry's, or Mikhail's, box. She had turned the gallery of the church into a miniature pig sty.

 

“Oh good God,” she scrunched up her nose as she smelled herself. “Shower first or he's gonna run for the hills,” she mumbled to herself as she put the laptop down on the floor. Mika groaned at the aches that shot up her stiff legs as she got up from the ground and tried to stretch her limbs out a little. “Wonder if I can get thrombosis,” she pondered quietly as she slowly walked to the staircase and climbed down the steps. “Ugh, knowing my luck, I already got it. Sure feels like it... hm, at least it won't be life threatening for me, I reckon.” Mika kept muttering to herself on the way to the bathroom, walking like an old lady, because everything was hurting from sitting in the same position for too long. “Jesus, now I'm walking AND talking like an old person... Man, I'm sexy and I know it.”

 

After a long, hot shower, she felt much better. She dressed in a pair of short, black, dressy shorts and a black halter top, put on some mascara and some Carmex and padded into the kitchen on bare feet on her hunt for her partner and some decent food.

 

A big smile lit up her face, when she found Cassidy by the sink, filling a flask with what looked like coffee machine descaler. He wore her black Daffy Duck t-shirt, that left a strip of his abdomen bare, a gray cardigan and blue, way too big sweatpants. He looked ridiculous and yet he was a sight for sore eyes and had her heart beating out of her chest in an instant.

 

“Hey,” she grinned at him, but was immediately taken aback by his aura. “Whoa...” she breathed as she noticed his bright red anger, which had invaded his aura as soon as he had heard her voice. She saw relief and hope in there as well, a healthy portion of disappointment, too, but damn, his anger was intense.

 

“Hey???” he asked as he slammed the flask and the plastic bottle down on the counter. Then he turned to face her and supported himself with one hand on the counter, while he rested his other hand on his hip. “So that's what you decided on going with?”

 

“Umm... I suppose so... yeah... w-why?”

 

“Pffff, I don't know... You see, idiot that I am, I thought the first words out of your mouth would be an apology.”

 

Mika nodded and slowly took a couple of steps towards him. “Okay, yeah... you're probably right.”

 

“Probably???” Cassidy's loud voice was an incredulous huff, making Mika jump slightly and hold her hands up in defense.

 

“I'm sorry, okay? I should have made time for you. I just-”

 

“Made time for me? Don't you bloody talk to me like I'm a fucking child, Kristina,” he angrily kept pointing is index finger at her, before he slammed his hand down on the counter forcefully. “In fact, maybe it's better if you just shut up altogether.”

 

“Whoa, baby... I know I got tunnel vision there for a couple of days, but-”

 

“A couple of days? That's what you call it? It was a bloody week! You didn't talk to me, you barely even looked up from your damn computer when I tried to talk to you. You just waved me off like a bloody nuisance. Like a fucking fly that's bothering you.”

 

Mika was shocked. Not just by his shouting at her, but also by what he was saying. That wasn't how she had experienced it. She tried to think back to the past couple of days, but she could hardly remember anything apart from working on the translations. Okay... maybe she remembered that the words “not now, baby” had left her mouth a lot... but in a friendly tone,... right??

 

“I told you not to shut me out,” Cassidy went on with his rant. “You know how it makes me feel. Especially now. I thought we were in this together. That we're partners. I thought you'd let me in,... you owe me that, Kristina, do you know that? I'm the first person who knew what you were and didn't lie to you about it. You're not supposed to do this to me. And it's making me think, you know? The fact that you can just push me away and shut me out like that and then act like nothing happened... it's not supposed to be like this when you claim to be in love with someone. I didn't want to believe Henry, you know? But he was right, you can be bloody cold... I just never thought you'd ever treat me that way... not after everything that happened.”

 

“I... I didn't...”

 

“Yes, you did,” he argued with narrowed eyes. Mika was just waiting for steam to come out of his ears and nostrils. He was so angry, even without connecting to him, it enveloped her like the most uncomfortable and cold blanket in the world. Then he advanced on her, pointing his finger at her again as he went on with a snarl, “but I'm telling you right now, that you're never gonna do it again. I won't let you. I might seem like it at times, but I'm not your bloody lap dog. I'm not your puppy who pisses himself with joy when you finally decide to give him some attention. I'm not bloody Henry Blake, you're not going to treat me like him. Never again from here on out,... I'm not gonna let it happen again. No matter how much I love you, I won't be your fucking plaything you can banish into a closet when you're sick of it and pull back out when you feel like playing with me again.”

 

A small part of Mika was tempted to back up a couple of steps as he came closer, but she remained firmly rooted to the spot. She didn't enjoy getting yelled at by him much, but a weird and maybe very sick part of her was fascinated by seeing him like this: pissed off, assertive, hard and wild expression in his eyes, jaws clenched tightly, the veins in his forehead and neck popping out, his snarl exposing his teeth, which looked spiky and sharp, even without his fangs out... She couldn't stop staring at him as he towered over her.

 

_'I most definitely have a problem of reacting inappropriately in serious situations,'_ she thought to herself, as a shiver ran through her,... the good kind. The kind, that suddenly had her tingling all over. Damn, she wanted him. Badly.

 

“Guess we're even now,” she breathed as she balled her hands into fists, trying to keep herself from touching him. He was so close now, she could smell him. He hadn't showered. The scent was purely him. Earthy, woodsy and musky. Dark. She loved it.

 

“Even?” Cassidy asked with an incredulous expression.

 

“You ran away to Dallas, I got lost in the diaries. We both made mistakes and acted like jerks, so yeah... even.”

 

For a moment, Cassidy was at a loss for words, but his aura told Mika loud and clear, that he was furious. If she was honest with herself, she didn't quite understand, why he was THAT angry with her, but in the end, she didn't even care, because, holy shit, angry Cassidy was also smoking hot and sexy Cassidy.

 

“It's not the same,” he finally pressed out, taking yet another step closer. He cursed himself for it, but he couldn't help himself. Now that she was standing right in front of him and was talking to him again, he wanted to be close to her, no matter how mad he was.

 

“Isn't it?”

 

“No, it isn't, Kristina. Didn't you hear a single bloody word I said?”

 

Mika was backing up now, because he had started bumping into her, but had kept advancing. She soon felt the wall behind her, stopping them both in their tracks. She looked up, as Cass stared down at her. He was close enough, that their bodies were touching lightly from chest to thigh. She felt his hot breath on her face, making her lips yearn for his.

 

“I did, but I seem to have a hard time focusing...” she replied breathlessly and with a little smile.

 

He usually loved that smile, but in that moment it only fueled his anger, making him wonder if she was making fun of him.

 

His flat palm connected hard with the wall right next to her head as he leaned in, his snarl growing threatening. “Do not wind me up on purpose. I'm warning you, Kristina.”

 

“Yeah? What are you gonna do, Cass? Gonna lose your head, like you did in 1922? You wanna hit me, baby? Are you mad enough to wanna hurt me?” The curiosity Mika felt was downright perverse. She was itching to find out how far she could go and how far he would go in turn. It might be a dangerous road to go down with a vampire, but that thrilled her more than it scared her.

 

Cassidy's eyes seemed to be blazing as he stared into hers. His lips were firmly pressed together in a thin line and his nostrils flared as he inhaled deeply through his nose, trying to keep a grip on himself. He braced his other hand on the wall, too, but instead of leaning in further, he used his hands to push himself slightly off of her, creating at least a tiny gap between them, but still keeping her trapped between the wall and his body.

 

“Don't,” he told her darkly as the muscles in his face seemed to be twitching as he fought for control.

 

“Why not? I hurt you. I hurt you the way you specifically asked me not to. You wanna punish me, don't you, baby? Or even kill me, hm? I bet you thought about it or even fantasized about it every day for at least the past three days, didn't you?” What the fuck was wrong with her? Why was this situation suddenly making her feel more alive than she ever had before? Why was she getting excited by the prospect of Cassidy losing control with her? Was she this eager to die and find out how long it would take to come back to life this time? How sick was that? Not to mention what it would do to poor Cassidy once he'd calmed down... She kept wondering about all of that at the very back of her mind and yet, she found herself unable to stop challenging him.

 

Mika saw him struggling. He was averting his gaze now and he was panting and his upper lip kept twitching. She knew that he was on the verge of losing it. She smiled and put her hands on his belly and slowly slid them up to his chest.

 

“What did you think about, huh? Did you slap me?”

 

“Kristina!”

 

“Throttle me? Bite me?”

 

“Stop!”

 

“Make me bleed?”

 

“I said stop!”

 

“Make me beg? Make me scream? M-”

 

Cassidy's strong hand on her throat cut her off. He growled and bared his fangs as he leaned in closer again, taking great satisfaction in the way her eyes widened ever so slightly and the small sliver of fear he'd noticed flaring up in the beautiful, luminescent orbs for a split second. Her fingertips were digging into his chest, like she was trying to keep him at bay... unsuccessfully of course, which the animal inside of him just loved. He didn't possess superhuman strength and he was skinny as hell, but physically he was still much stronger than her.

 

“You want me to kill you, eh?” he asked in an agitated low growl. It seemed like it was taking everything he had to keep himself from strangling her right then and there. “You still wanna die, like back then? Huh? That it? It's not your lucky day, then, because I won't do your dirty work for you.” Cassidy slightly squeezed her throat as he traced his nose along her cheek, letting her feel just a fraction of his strength and enjoying how her breath got caught in her throat, before he loosened his grip. “But I am going to make you beg, sweetheart. And I am most definitely going to make you scream.”

 

* * *

 

Cassidy gripped both her hands in one of his and pinned them to the wall up above her head. His lips slammed down on hers with bruising force. Mika moaned and strained against him as his fangs nicked both their bottom lips, making their blood mix as his tongue invaded and conquered her mouth in a steamy kiss.

 

His free hand found its way back to her throat, keeping her in place as he let one of his fangs scrape along her lip again, making more blood well up. He pulled back and let his hungry gaze take her in for a moment, then he leaned down and ever so slowly traced the tip of his tongue along her bloody lip, relishing every little drop of blood she gave him. She was fucking delicious. He wanted more. So, damn much more.

 

Cassidy groaned deeply as he greedily sucked her lip into his mouth and took from her whatever he was able to get, before the superficial cut would close up again. That taste... goddamn, it drove him up the wall. Mika's responding whimper fed his arousal even more, making him wedge a leg between hers, letting her undulating hips get some friction on his thigh, all the while pressing his sweatpants-clad erection against her lower belly, getting a little relief for himself.

 

She was absolutely right. He wanted to punish her, and he wasn't proud of it, but part of him did want to hurt her. By tasting her like that for the first time ever, in this emotionally heightened state of his no less, he was pushing himself onto a very slippery slope. The urge to break her soft skin and bury his fangs in her firm flesh grew stronger with every minute. If he was honest with himself, he was surprised by his self-discipline. With any other woman, he would have already given in and would have turned full-on animal with her, but his love for Mika ran deeper than anything he'd ever experienced before and he found himself unable to fully lose control on her... but that didn't mean that it wasn't hard to hold back from completely ravaging her and letting his mouth fill up with her warm, sweet life essence over and over again.

 

Cassidy groaned again at the mental image he'd painted for himself. It drove him insane. He tore his lips from her and growled and hissed at her menacingly, not knowing what to do with himself and all this rage that had built up inside of him. He slammed his fist against the wall next to her head again, before he pulled away from her completely, yanking the cardigan off his body as he turned around and walked to the kitchen cupboards and pulled a drawer open.

 

Mika gasped when she watched him take a sharp knife out. Cold panic gripped her insides. She trusted him, but she really wasn't on very good terms with knives. Not since her grandmother had used them to carve her up like a Thanksgiving turkey for her birthday. She even avoided using them for cooking whenever she could, preferring to use those “Nicer Dicer” things or whatever they were called.

 

“It's not for you,” Cassidy told her, his voice still sounding pissed off, but his words managed to ease the anxiety he had sensed coming from her. The knife was for him. He needed the cut on her lip to heal quickly. He simply couldn't let himself have more of her blood. It was getting him too close to the edge and he didn't want to take any chances.

 

Cass took off her Daffy Duck shirt, he'd been wearing for three whole days. Her lingering scent on the fabric had given him some comfort during the crazy days he'd been kind of left to fend for himself for.

 

He wasn't a big fan of biting himself, like the vampires in the movies did, so instead, he drew the blade along the left side of his chest, just above his nipple as he approached her. He wasn't sure if this would work, but he had to try.

 

As soon as he was bleeding, he tossed the knife into the sink before he grabbed Mika by the back of her neck, in order to pull her face towards his chest. “Clean me up, luv,” he demanded. His hardened cock twitched when Mika looked up at him defiantly and tried to push back against his hand. He tightened his grip and used his other hand to pull her flush against him by her waist, his gaze and voice unwavering. “Now!”

 

Mika shot him a death glare, but hell, to her own surprise, she actually liked this previously unknown side of him. Up until now, he's always been the easy-going, sweet, loving, funny, witty, adorable type,... sensitive even, at times. This was as new to her as it was exciting.

 

She stopped struggling and licked her lips as she watched small rivulets of blood slowly flow down his chest, like red-colored frosting would run down the sides of a cake. It was fascinatingly beautiful to her and she felt a thrilling sliver of anticipation pass through her as she remembered his taste. She let her tongue peek out from between her lips, touching the very tip of it to his left nipple. She swirled it around the stiff, little bud, gathering the crimson fluid, that had made its way down there from the thin wound he'd inflicted with the knife.

 

Mika groaned when his blood hit her taste buds. It didn't even taste coppery to her. Just like his scent, it was so purely him, which was something she could never get enough of, so she greedily licked it all up, like a kitten with a bowl of cream.

 

“Good girl,” Cassidy murmured in a low voice. Then he grabbed a fistful of her hair and tugged none too gently, forcing her to look up at him, before he added, “... for once!”

 

He softly traced his thumb along her bottom lip, looking for the cut, but it was no longer there. His assumption had turned out to be correct. Small amounts of blood immediately healed very minor cuts and bruises, just like it did for him. She officially possessed the regular vampire healing ability. That was good to know.

 

Mika smirked and touched her tongue to his thumb, loving that it made his nostrils flare as it send a little shock of pleasure up his arm. “Being good is boring, though,” she murmured, “and you hate boring.”

 

“I do,” Cassidy agreed, then he re-tightened his grip on her hair and tugged on it harder as he bend his head down until their noses almost touched. Mika noticed that his beautiful, large, hazel eyes had turned a stunning shade of green tonight. She figured, that maybe she should make him angry more often, if this was the view she got treated to then. Cass tugged on her hair again, returning her focus to his words as he went on, “...but I hate what you did last week even more. The worst part is, that you're not even sorry, are you?”

 

No, she honestly wasn't sorry. Not yet, at least, because she still didn't quite understand what was happening with him, so she remained quiet.

 

“Right,” Cassidy huffed with a humorless laugh. “Don't worry, though,... you're gonna be sorry, once I'm done with you.” And with that, he slammed his lips back down on hers and kissed her hungrily.

 

He didn't break the kiss even for a second as he maneuvered them into their room, kicking the door shut behind them with a swift move of his foot. Mika feverishly rubbed her hands over his chest and arms and back, wherever she was able to reach, before her left hand slid down to rub his rock-hard erection through his sweatpants.

 

“Keep your hands to your bloody self. You don't get to touch me,” he snarled breathlessly as he pushed her hands away.

 

“But-”

 

“Hush now, before I gag you. I don't want to hear another word out of you right now.”

 

Cassidy made quick work of her clothes. Once he had her naked, he kissed her downright harshly, biting her lips and sucking hard on her tongue. His hands hurriedly explored her exposed body, finally getting his fill of feeling her velvety, soft skin again. He squeezed her ass possessively, rhythmically pulling her up against his cock in the process, before he moved on to her breasts. He kneaded the soft globes roughly as he slid his stubbly jaw and cheeks along the delicate column of her neck, giving her sloppy kisses and sharp nips on his way down to meet his hands.

 

Mika cried out and reflexively buried her fingers in the dark mop of hair on top of his head, as Cassidy dug his teeth into the sensitive peaks of her breasts, and tugged, until they popped free, only to catch them again with his mouth, sucking hard.

 

He reached up and pried her fingers away from his head. He took hold of her wrists and guided her hands behind her back, keeping them trapped there using only his right hand, as he continued his onslaught on her breasts, taking what he wanted from her.

 

Mika wasn't sure if she loved or hated what he was doing. However, her body seemed to be more decisive than her mind, because she felt her hot wetness pool out of her, leaving a tickling sensation on her quaking thighs, even though the stinging pain of his bites kept making her hiss and wince.

 

Cassidy straightened and looked deeply into her eyes with a hard expression, when he let his left hand travel down over her belly and straight between her legs. On the inside he was grinning, though, when he felt how worked up she was. Her moan sounded more like a relieved sob as the tip of his middle finger rubbed slow circles around her swollen clit. Mika went up on her tippy toes, straining against his grip on her wrists, as she tried to press herself harder against the fingers, which were massaging her pussy surprisingly gently.

 

“Good God, yes,...” Mika breathed as her eyelids started to flutter and fall shut. Her head started to fall back, she was ready to let ecstasy take over and have him push her over the edge.

 

“Look at me, Kristina.” Cassidy's voice made her open her eyes back up and focus on his face.

 

Good God, he was gorgeous. In his own way he was fucking handsome. His eyes, especially. They were stunningly beautiful and always so bright and so expressive. She suddenly felt like crying as her feelings for him threatened to overwhelm her. She loved him so much, it hurt. He had to know that,... right?

 

Cassidy watched her get lost in his eyes as his fingers kept gently caressing her. He had missed her and being with her so fucking much. It hurt that she apparently hadn't had the same problem. She loved him, he knew that for sure, but how on Earth had she been able to just blend him out like that? He didn't understand. He would never be able to do that with her.

 

Her loud gasp pulled him out of his bitter thoughts and he immediately noticed that her breathing was changing. Fast and shallow pants, interspersed with needy, little moans. She was close, and just before her orgasm would hit, Cassidy removed his hand and stepped away from her, busying himself with the cord around his hips, that was acting as a substitute belt.

 

“What... Cass...?” Mika was literally dazed and confused. She wasn't able to think straight and her brain had a hard time understanding what was happening.

 

“On the bed. On your back,” Cassidy told her, sounding almost bored, while his fingers loosened the tight knot on the cord.

 

Mika dropped down on the mattress, only too happy to get off her feet and wobbly knees. Cassidy followed her seconds later, licking and nibbling his way up her legs, allowing himself one long, slow lick along her slick sex, before he sat up on his knees and reached for her ankles. He moved them up until both of them were resting on his right shoulder, then he leaned over her, until her knees came close to touching her breasts as he thrust into her with one quick, hard stroke. The position allowed him to go deep, until the tip of him was pressed snugly against the end of her, making her gasp and squirm at the uncomfortable pressure, which thankfully eased up a little just a moment later. She tried to slip her hand between her legs, but Cassidy quickly stopped her.

 

“No, you don't get to touch yourself, either, sweetheart. For once, this is not about what you want,” he told her as he spread her arms out next to her and supported himself on her upper arms, effectively restraining her with his body. He wasn't worried about going too far. She had the power to stop him anytime it got too much for her. If she didn't, he wasn't going to stop what he was doing.

 

And there was nothing gentle about what he was doing now. He slowly pulled back out almost all the way, then, with a quick snap of his hips, he was all the way inside her again, and again, and again, and again setting a hard and fast rhythm right away. His hips slammed into hers forcefully. The sound of flesh slapping against flesh paired with her cries and moans satisfied him deeply.

 

Eventually, he straightened and took hold of her legs again. This time he parted them and made her sling them around his waist. He leaned back forward on one hand and used the thumb on his other hand to rub her clit in time with his slowed down thrusts.

 

Mika grabbed the sheets in her fists as her back arched and her core started clenching around him, desperately seeking release.

 

“Oh fuck, baby, yes...” she moaned as she felt herself nearing the edge again. She was so close, she could almost taste it. Unfortunately, Cassidy knew her and her body well enough by now, to know when she was just about to cum. Just when she felt like the first convulsion was about to hit, Cassidy once again withdrew his fingers and went back to restraining her with his hands.

 

“You bastard,” she groaned in frustration as she squirmed helplessly underneath him.

 

“You have no idea,” Cassidy smirked evilly with a wink.

 

Suddenly, without warning, he started fucking her in earnest again, setting a punishing rhythm, that had her gasping for air on every other stroke. He was quite literally fucking it out of his system and finally, he felt himself relax enough to allow the pleasure to take over his body and mind. He groaned loudly as the pressure started to build and intense heat unfurled inside his lower body.

 

“Oh God, Cass, please,...” Mika started screaming hoarsely, when his strokes became even faster. “Please, make me cum. Please... pleasebabypleasebabypleasebabyplease!!!”

 

Her begging did him in. With a roar he exploded deep inside of her, shaking like a leaf as his cock convulsed hard and endlessly.

 

The temptation to just fall asleep with her in their bed again at long last was huge, but he denied himself the simple pleasure for the time being. As soon as his body had started to calm down, he pulled out of her and got out of bed.

 

“Cassidy?” Mika sat up, her brain still not able to believe that her usually quite generous lover was leaving her hanging.

 

Cass forced himself to walk out of the room. She needed to get a taste of her own medicine. Maybe that would make her understand.

 

“Cass?”

 

He kept walking. Buck naked he went to use the bathroom. He took his time and freshened up, before he walked into the kitchen and grabbed himself a bottled water from the fridge. He gulped it down all at once and threw the empty plastic bottle into the trash. Then he even took a couple of minutes to look out the window, even though there was nothing to see.

 

When he re-entered the bedroom, Mika was curled up on her side, hugging herself and staring straight ahead at the wall. Cassidy laid on his side in front of her, facing her. He pulled the covers over them before he gently cradled her jaw in his left hand and stroked her cheek with his thumb.

 

“Do you get it now? What you did and what it felt like for me?” he asked her as he searched her gaze with his.

 

Mika nodded slowly, her eyes full of unshed tears.

 

“You just left. You left me alone, luv. With everything. You were still here physically, but you were gone every other way. It wasn't fair. What you did was a shite move.”

 

“I'm sorry.”

 

“Are you really?”

 

“I am. You didn't deserve it.”

 

“You're bloody right, I didn't. I did right by you. I'm the only one who ever did. I'm the only one who never lied to you. I thought that would count for something.”

 

“It does. I didn't mean to hurt you.”

 

“Yeah, but you still did. You know, you and Jesse,... your chosen brother..., you're more alike than you think... and I'm not sure, if I like that.”

 

“I really didn't mean to... I... I don't know how to explain it. I sometimes get so focused on things, they just pull me in. I'm so used to being by myself, to doing everything myself... Part of me is still wired like that, I suppose and I just lost myself in those translations. I just wanted to get them done. I wasn't able to stop. I didn't even realize how much time had passed... or that I fucking lived up in the gallery, for that matter. Was I really up there a whole week?”

 

“Yeah,” Cassidy confirmed. “This is the first time you're back in our bed in, like, 8 nights, I think.”

 

“Christ... I thought it was like three days, tops. I don't know what's wrong with me.”

 

“You still got a bit of learning to do, luv. You're lucky I'm an excellent teacher, though.”

 

“That you are,” Mika scoffed as the painful pulsing in her core reminded her of the lesson he'd just taught her.

 

Cassidy smoothed his hand over her shoulder and let it travel down her arm, until he reached her ribcage. He gently rubbed her side, then he slid his palm over her butt, before he stroked the back of her thigh, softly gripping it and pulling her leg to rest over his hip. “Does it hurt?” he murmured as he inched closer to her, sweetly nuzzling her.

 

“Mhm,” Mika nodded. “Didn't know women were able to get blue balls... or blue ovaries or blue whatever...”

 

“Don't worry. It's an easy fix,” Cass mumbled against her lips, before kissing her lovingly. “One last thing, though... I was serious. You're never going to treat me like that again.”

 

“Promise.”

 

“Good... Come here, kitten.”

 

Cassidy entered her gently this time, while Mika clung to him tightly, hiding her face in the crook of his neck. He felt the wetness of her tears against his skin as he hugged her close and stroked her back as he made love to her. They shared whispered “I love you's” and enjoyed being close and intimate again, before Cassidy ended her torture and gave her the sweet release she needed, sending her to heaven and then right to sleep.

 

* * *

 

“I'm the hand of God, I'm the dark messiah, I'm the vengeful ooooone...” Mika sang along loudly to Disturbed's “The Vengeful One”, as she took a look in the fridge the next morning.

 

Cassidy felt a deep sense of contentment, when he joined her in the kitchen. At least that was back to normal. He kissed her on the top of her head in passing on his way to the coffee machine.

 

“That reminds me,” Mika looked at Cass over her shoulder. “Where's our self-proclaimed hand of God?”

 

Her question had Cassidy freeze in his tracks. He turned around, looking at her like she had lost her mind.

 

“Are you bloody serious, luv?”

 

Mika's forehead crinkled in confusion, wondering what she had done wrong now. “Um, yeah. Why?”

 

“Jeeesus... were you really that far gone? Did you really not hear anything I said to you when I came up there to talk to you?”

 

Mika's reply was a sheepish grin, making Cassidy's anger flare up again. He shook his head as he rolled his eyes and took a deep breath. “At least that explains why you didn't understand why I was so bloody mad at you. You have no idea what's been going on... He's gone.”

 

“Gone? Gone how? Dead gone?”

 

“Laying low gone. Hiding out somewhere, I suppose. The sheriff is looking for him, as well as the creepy short guy with the glasses, he's been obsessing about,” Cassidy explained.

 

“What? What the hell happened? What did he do? Christ, who did he kill?”

 

“He sent the kid to hell. Literally. With Genesis.”

 

“What is that supposed to mean? What kid?”

 

“The kid, the one with an arsehole for a face.”

 

“Eugene?”

 

“That's right,” Cassidy confirmed. “Jesse, he had a fight with Tulip,... something about a guy named Pedro or something. Padre didn't wanna hear it and she left and then Emily sent the kid in. Jesse didn't wanna deal with him, but the kid kept talking and talking and talking and then Jesse used the word, telling him to go to hell... then he was gone. Just vanished, from one second to the next. I was up there, standing right next to you... saw the whole thing happen.”

 

Now it was Mika's turn to look at him like he'd grown two more heads. Even after everything that had happened, it was still hard to believe what Cassidy was telling her. She swallowed hard and blinked a couple of times, trying to gather her bearings.

 

“Eugene is in hell? For real?”

 

“It would appear so.”

 

“Why didn't Jesse just tell him to come back?”

 

“That's just it, he didn't even try. He just left. Kept going about his day like nothing happened.”

 

“What????”

 

“Yeah. Kept doing it until the sheriff started asking more and more questions. Then this Quincyco guy, or whatever his name is, started showing up, too, wanting him to sign the church over.”

 

“Quincannon? Jesus Christ... why? What does he want with the church?”

 

“How the hell would I know? Anyway, that was the last time I saw Padre. Four days ago or so, but those arseholes still keep showing up, asking questions and looking for him.”

 

Mika closed the fridge and leaned against it heavily. What a mess. Now she definitely understood why Cassidy had been that upset. She had left him to deal with all that crap by himself. She and Jesse, both.

 

“Good God... I am **so** , **SO** fucking sorry, baby. Holy shit,... How you managed not to throttle me last night, I have no idea, but kudos...”

 

“Right... not going to lie, luv, my hand is still bloody itching to give you a good hiding right now.”

 

“I can imagine, but unfortunately for you, we don't have time for that now. We need to get the hell out of here, before Jesse freaking Custer drags us both down with him.”

 

“Yeah... good idea. I can be ready to go in ten minutes,” Cassidy told her, making her laugh a little.

 

“Well, that's a little hasty, I need to take care of some things, but you know what? There's bags and suitcases under our bed, why don't you start packing our clothes in the meantime? And don't forget the envelope,” she reminded him, meaning the envelope from Henry's guy, which contained her new ID, passport, birth certificate, etc... basically her entire new life. “Henry's friend already transferred all my funds to new accounts. The new cards are in there as well, without them we can't access my money.”

 

“I'll make sure to pack that one first, then.”

 

“Perfect. Let's get started,” Mika nodded with determination and headed off in the direction of the gallery.

 

* * *

 

Mika needed to write and send some e-mails, and she needed to rent an Airbnb in Portland. A hotel room probably would have been just fine, but she wanted a bit more privacy with Cass. When she was done, she grabbed her laptop and her phone, got back up from the ground and was ready to leave and join Cassidy downstairs in their room to help him pack. 

 

However, she couldn't bring herself to leave the church a mess. With a sigh, she put her electronics back on the ground and started gathering the empty plastic bottles, only to realize that she wouldn't be able to carry everything downstairs to the trash at once. She went to the supply closet, grabbed a couple of trash bags and went back upstairs to the gallery, and started to clean up.

 

Not for Jesse's sake, but for his dad's. In her mind, this was still John's church. John had kept the truth from her as well, but in the end, he had cared for her. He hadn't sent her away. He had given her a place to stay, he'd put food on the table for her and he'd been there for her, when she had needed him. The least she could do was to pick up after herself before she would leave for good.

 

“Mik?”

 

Mika jumped, then she whirled around and stepped up to the banister to look down at her wayward brother.

 

“Jesse! What the fuck, man?” she greeted him, throwing her arms up in exasperation.

 

“I'll make it all better. I promise, but first-” Jesse told her with a small smile on his face.

 

“Make it all better? What exactly are you going to make better, Jess? So far you're fucking up fucking everything.”

 

“Things need to get worse, before they can get better. I'm going to save this town, Mika. I know how now.”

 

“You should stop worrying about this town and start worrying about yourself. Save yourself, Jesse. Go see the angels and let them have their precious power back and then get the fuck out of here. It's not good for you. Annville isn't good for you and especially Genesis isn't good for you. You're ruining everything you touch with that thing. Not me, though. Not Cassidy. We're leaving for Portland today.”

 

“And do what?”

 

“Live our lives, Jesse. Far away from all this bullshit.”

 

“I'm going to call God, Mika. On Sunday, I'll bring him to Annville. Stay. At least until then.”

 

“Hell no.”

 

“You don't wanna see God? Talk to him? Ask him why he let all that torture and all those lies happen to you?”

 

“No. I want to be as far away from that freak show as possible,” she explained gruffly, before she suddenly stilled. Something wasn't right. “What's that?” she asked and perked her ears when she kept hearing what sounded like distant yelling.

 

“They're coming,” Jesse told her, still wearing that creepy little smile of his. 

 

“What? Who? Who's they, Jesse? The sheriff and Quincannon? Goddammit, Custer, what the hell did you do?”

 

Jesse quickly ran towards the stage. It was only then that Mika noticed the angel phone, which was tucked under his arm. .

 

“Jesse? What are you doing?”

 

“Stay there!”

 

“Why? What's going on? Who's coming?” Mika shouted after him as she started to move towards the stairs.

 

“ **STAY WHERE YOU ARE, MIKA! DON'T USE YOUR POWERS ON ME!** ”

 

Mika instantly found herself rooted to the spot. “Oh you stupid bastard,... you're gonna pay for that... Cass!!!” she called out to her partner, who she spotted entering the church in that moment, because he'd heard her shouting.

 

“Padre? The bloody hell are you doing? Don't use the word on he-”

 

“Cass, get down!” Jesse called out to an utterly confused Cassidy, a second before the church doors flew open so violently, that they splintered when they hit the walls with a loud banging noise. 

 

Mika tried to break free of that strange hold Genesis had on her, mentally and physically. She tried to get her feet and legs to move, but it was like they were glued to the spot. She watched Quincannon's armed men come in, carefully scanning the church for the preacher.

 

Jesse had only told her not to use her powers on him, she would be able to influence the men and help her brother, but she was too angry and stubborn to do so. As Jesse and Cassidy jumped the men and fought them, she snorted internally about the fact that Jesse had used the word on her, but not on the men. If he was that keen to fight, she would let him fight. Cassidy would be alright, she knew that, so she closed her eyes and focused on herself, hellbent on breaking that fucking spell, if only to spite Jesse. She channeled her energy, blended out the noise around her as best she could and attempted to chase Genesis out of her mind.

 

She didn't succeed.

 

Four shots rang out and her eyes popped back open in shock, just in time to watch the group of five quickly make their retreat. 

 

“That'll teach 'em,” Jesse smirked as he leaned his newly acquired rifle against the pew closest to him.

 

“What the bloody hell was that?” Cassidy asked in an incredulous tone as he approached Jesse and slapped the preacher hard upside the head, before turning his attention back up to the gallery. “Good God, are you alright, luv?”

 

She was quiet and looked at him in shock. 

 

“Did you tell her not to talk, you idiot? Take it back, now!” Cassidy told Jesse, who shook his head.

 

“I didn't tell her not to talk, just to-”

 

“Cass... I...” Mika croaked out, making Cassidy look back up at her. She wanted to say more, but a strange sensation in her throat kept her from doing so. She coughed and both Cassidy's and Jesse's eyes widened in horror as they watched a large amount of blood spill out of her mouth, just before she collapsed to the ground.

 

“No, nonononono,... shite...” Cassidy called out and ran towards the staircase with Jesse in hot pursuit. “What did you do, you bloody arsehole?”

 

“I didn't know... I didn't know they would...” Jesse stammered and, like Cass, dropped to his knees next to Mika, who still had blood come out of her mouth as she struggled to breathe.

 

“You're gonna be alright, luv,” Cassidy gently cradled her face in his hands. “You just need blood.”

 

_ 'No!'  _ Mika wasn't able to speak, so with all the strength she had left, she had opened her mind and had connected to him and Jesse, letting them hear her thoughts.  _ 'No blood... yet... let me die.' _

 

“Are you going mental, luv? I'm not going to let you die! You're going to feed.”

 

_ 'Not... permanent... let  **them** think... dead... New life... remember... let them take... me... official death... you two get me out of... morgue... then blood... then Portland.' _

 

Cassidy shook his head as tears welled up in his eyes. Seeing her like this was the worst. “You need blood now.”

 

_'Trust me... I promise... gonna be... fine. Take laptop... translations.'_

 

Cassidy felt the connection grow weaker as her eyelids started to flutter. He trusted her, but having her fade away and not really knowing for sure what was going to happen... he wanted to scream.

 

“I'm sorry, Mika,” Jesse told her as he clutched her hand in his, but she ignored him.

 

_'Please, Cass... Come on... put on... good show.'_

 

Cassidy let out a little laugh, then he leaned over her and kissed her long and hard.

 

_'I know how to do that... I love you, panda. You better come back or I'm gonna find you in whatever afterlife you're gonna hide out in and then you'll definitely get that spanking.'_

 

_'Love...you...'_

 

Cassidy felt cold. The connection was gone and her lips had gone slack under his. She was gone and he felt numb, lonely and full of rage, all at the same time.

 

“This was you,... you know that?” he snarled at Jesse as two tears slid down his cheeks.

 

“She's gonna be alright, though... Right? She can heal.”

 

“I guess we'll see about that, now won't we?” Cassidy was hurting all over at the thought of her maybe not being able to heal a gunshot wound. Maybe she had gone without blood for too long and needed to work her way up to it. What if that was the case? What if she wouldn't be able to come back? “I'm going to kill you,” he promised Jesse. “If she dies, so will you.”

 

“I guess we'll see about that, too,” Jesse muttered darkly.

 

* * *

 

“You bloody killed her, you stupid gobshites!”

 

Cassidy cried and yelled to the crowd assembled around the church, as he stood on top of the steps outside the church with a dead Mika in his arms and a forlorn looking Jesse by his side.

 

Disbelief seemed to descend upon Quincannon's men as they stood and stared, not wanting to believe their eyes.

 

Sheriff Root had arrived minutes ago and now quickly ran towards the threesome. “Call an ambulance,” he called out over his shoulder.

 

“She's dead!” Cassidy yelled. “Dead! You shot her!”

 

Sheriff Root slowed down and panted heavily as he walked the last couple of steps towards a highly upset Cassidy.

 

“Let me see her, son.”

 

Cassidy ignored him. “And for what? A bloody church? What is wrong with you people?”

 

“I just need to check on her,” the sheriff told him as he carefully extended his arm.

 

“There's no need... she's gone,” Cass mumbled as tears kept running down his face.

 

Hugo Root put two fingers on Mika's neck and searched for a pulse. He waited and waited, checked another spot, before his heart fell as realization set in. There was nothing. The freak was right.

 

“He's right,” he nodded and turned his head slightly towards Quincannon and his men. “She's gone. I'm sorry, son... My condolences, Preacher. I'm sorry, I really am, but I'm afraid you still have to come with us. Both of you.”

 

Cassidy didn't budge.

 

The sheriff let him be and called the coroner.

 

Cassidy held on to Mika and kissed her face over and over again until the coroner and the sheriff pried her out of his arms and put her in a body bag. Once she was in the coroner's van, Cassidy and Jesse let Sheriff Root arrest them.

 

* * *

“Shootout at All Saints Congregational in Annville... Local preacher and his acquaintance escaped from jail and on the lam... Beloved town therapist Mika K. Blake killed, dead at 35,” Cassidy quietly read from the newspaper he held in his left hand. He looked down at the still form in his lap. “You got your wish, luv,” he sighed as he gently stroked her hair with his right hand. “Mika Blake is officially dead. All that's left to do is to wake up... be reborn as Kristina... Please... Come back to me, panda.”

 

Cassidy closed his eyes and let his head fall back against the headrest. The waiting and not knowing was killing him. The only thing that gave him at least some sense of comfort during those dark, long minutes was all the different scenarios he came up with, on how to kill Jesse Custer.

 

* * *

 

 


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi there,
> 
> I want to take the opportunity to wish you all a Merry Xmas and a Happy New Year. Unfortunately my son has been sick again this whole week and on top of that, his ears also started acting up just this morning and he won't go back to school next week, either. After that it's X-mas break and I might not get a lot of time to write until the first week in January. I have already started the new chapter and hope I'll get it posted Friday before Xmas, but at this point I can't make any promises. I'll try my hardest, though.
> 
> Much love to all of you! Thank you for reading.

* * *

 

_'Come on, sweetheart. Come on, I'm going insane here. Patience is not my strong suit.'_

 

Cassidy sighed heavily and tore his gaze away from his dead lover's face, to look out the window. He knew he should probably just read the damn translations, so it would give him a clue of how long he'd have to wait for Kristina to wake up, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. He didn't want to know all the grizzly details of what had happened to her as a little girl. He wasn't strong enough to bear it. Not now, maybe not ever.

 

“Anything?” Jesse asked from the front seat.

 

“Oh... yeah... She woke up and we're having a gay, old time back here, I just forgot to tell you,” Cassidy told him in the most sarcastic tone of voice he could muster.

 

“Cass...” Jesse sighed quietly, before he turned around to look at the vampire, who was seated behind him. “It was an accident. I didn't mean for her to get hurt. I love her and I care about her, too.”

 

“Yeah, I've seen the way you care... A shining example of how not to do it. No surprise that she keeps stumbling where that stuff is concerned. She's been living with soulless and severely emotionally stunted people for all her life. I might not be an expert on it myself, but I understand these things better than you lot, that's for sure... But things are going to change. Her life is going to be better from here on out. She's going to learn what it's like to have people around her, who truly care and don't just pretend to.”

 

“And who's that going to be, apart from you, Cass? She doesn't know anybody, except for us.”

 

“We're going to start over. She's going to meet new people.”

 

“You're dreaming, Cassidy. You're living in a fantasy world, where your future with Mika is concerned.”

 

“It's Kristina. And I think it's you, who needs a reality check, Padre. You're starting to play God and I doubt that's what this Genesis thing is for.”

 

“Because you know all about God's plans, don't you, Cass?”

 

“You know what? Spare me, Padre. Just get us the blood and then clear the hell off and leave us alone,” Cassidy told the preacher, motioning towards the hospital, they were parked in front of.

 

He was tired, exhausted actually, and on top of that, he was growing weaker and weaker, because he kept feeding Kristina his own blood, but hadn't been able to feed and replenish himself yet. He just wanted Jesse to get him a good supply of blood bags and then he wanted to hide out with Kristina in the motel room, Jesse had organized for them. Genesis was helpful with those things, at least.

 

“I'm going in,” Jesse stated. “Shouldn't take longer than 15-20 minutes.”

 

“Get to it, then.”

 

Jesse got out of the car and marched into the hospital, and Cassidy closed his eyes for a moment. He wasn't sure if he'd ever felt this tired before, and yet, he was unable to sleep. He wouldn't risk missing the moment his love would finally wake up.

 

He didn't get much chance to rest, however, because his phone started buzzing yet again in his pants pocket. It had kept doing so at regular intervals, but Cassidy had kept ignoring it, not even bothering to check who it was, that kept calling every 30 minutes or so. Probably just Tulip. Maybe Jesse had lost his phone along the way and she wasn't able to get a hold of him.

 

Cassidy blindly dug out the phone from his pocket, deciding that now was as good a time as any to fill Tulip in on what her boyfriend had done.

 

“Tulip?”

 

“No. It's Henry. Is it true?”

 

Cassidy's eyes popped open in surprise at the frantic-sounding male voice, only to fall shut again a moment later, as he seemed to sag even further into his seat. A tired sigh left his lips as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

 

“Cassidy!”

 

“Yeah... alright... I'm here...” he mumbled and Henry heard another deep sigh leaving the vampire on the other end of the line.

 

“Is she really dead?”

 

“She is right now.”

 

“Shit, Cassidy! You had one job! One single fucking job and that was to keep her alive!”

 

“She will be. I think... I hope... I gave her blood, alright? Keep your too tight pants on.”

 

“You gave her blood? And you think that will work?”

 

“It worked on a cut... why not on a couple of gunshot wounds, too?”

 

“You don't exactly sound hopeful there, pal.”

 

“I don't feel well, is all. Don't you worry your pretty, little head. How'd you even find out?”

 

“Sheriff Root tracked me down and gave me a call. What the hell happened back there, Cassidy? She got shot by Quincannon's guys? Why?”

 

“I'll give you three guesses.”

 

“Jesse?” Henry groaned.

 

“He made a deal with Quincannon and didn't stick to it, 'cause the little guy tricked him... Was supposed to sign the church over to him. When Padre didn't do it, the creep sent his guys. She was up in the gallery, fighting with Jesse when they came. He told her to stay, with his power... she couldn't move... couldn't hide... took two bullets.”

 

“Goddammit... Did you give her blood right away and she died anyway?”

 

“No. I wanted to feed her, but she told us to let her die. She wanted the sheriff to see. She wanted an official death. Told me to give her blood later, that it would be alright. She finished translating the journals, so I gotta trust that she knew what she was talking about.” Cassidy didn't sound very trusting when he said it, though.

 

“I hope she did... I know she was able to heal major injuries when she was a child, even without blood. But that was almost 30 years ago...” Henry said carefully.

 

“I know that, Van Helsing,... alright? I know it's been a long time, but she's had blood twice before she died. A couple weeks back and the night before she got shot. Not much, but maybe it was enough to help things along, to make her body remember somehow... shite, I don't know how it works... this waiting is making me crazy.”

 

“Maybe you're right. She's died before... that's what Robia wrote... maybe... I don't know, maybe it's like muscle memory or something. Maybe her body still knows what to do. How to come back. How long has it been?”

 

“One and a half days.”

 

“Oh, that's good,” Henry sounded relieved. “From what I remember from the translated notes, that's nothing yet... There's still hope.”

 

Cassidy immediately sat up straighter, his expression wide awake. “Really? How long did it take back then?”

 

“Don't quote me on it, but I think when she was seven years old, it already took about three or four days.”

 

Cassidy rubbed his face hard. “Shite, mate... How long is it going to take now, then? Two weeks? I can't take that, I swear to God, I'm already going out of my mind right now.”

 

“I know this sounds horrible, but is she showing any signs of decay or anything?”

 

Cass frowned and looked down at her. “No... there's nothing. She just looks like she's bloody sleeping, only that she's not snoring. She doesn't smell, she's not stiff...”

 

“That's a good sign, I think. I'd say give her as much blood as you can and then we'll have to wait it out, I suppose,” Henry suggested.

 

“Waiting...,” Cassidy huffed, “I've always hated that word.... Don't really have another choice, though, eh?”

 

Henry was quiet for a moment, before he asked “Where are you? Still in Annville?”

 

“No, we're in... I don't even know... somewhere in New Mexico. Padre said what it was, but I guess I got other things on my mind right now,” Cassidy muttered, rubbing his tired eyes.

 

“Do you need anything? Want me to come back and... don't know... wait with you?”

 

“No, no, no... It's nice of you to ask, mate, I appreciate it, but you did your time. I can handle it... I'm shite at waiting, that's all.”

 

“Okay,” Henry replied quietly.

 

Cassidy cleared his throat. He wasn't really in the mood to do small talk, but he figured, that it might distract him until Jesse returned with the blood bags.

 

“How're things on your end? Have you settled in a little yet?”

 

“Yeah, it's good to be here. My family is very nice...” Henry reported.

 

“But?”

 

“I still feel like an outsider a bit, I guess. And... okay, if you tell her and she asks me about it, I'll deny every single word, but... I miss her.”

 

Cassidy let a little laugh escape his lips. “Don't worry, mate, my lips are sealed... I think it's perfectly understandable that you miss her. She was all you had for a long time, no matter how she treated you...” Cass hesitated for a second, before he went on. “I get it now... you were right... she can be bloody cold.”

 

“What happened? You guys have a fight?”

 

“We did... I'm not gonna go into details, but I know what you meant now. She'll never do it again, though. I'll see to that. She has to learn that she can't do that to people who care about her.”

 

“Ha!” Henry guffawed at the other end of the line. “I wish I'd be able to watch you teaching her about that.”

 

Cassidy smirked, albeit that smirk was a bit of a sad one, as he thought back to how exactly he had taught her her lesson just two nights ago. “I highly doubt that,” he muttered and was able to picture Henry's confused frown perfectly.

 

“Oh...” After a moment of silence, Henry seemed to have realized what Cassidy meant. “Yeah, alright... don't need to see you two doing it...” Another moment of silence. “Okay, hang on... sorry, but how exactly is sex useful to teaching her a lesson about not being cold towards you? I don't get it.”

 

Cassidy was about to ask, if he was joking, but then remembered, that even though he was good-looking and in his late 30's, Henry was fairly inexperienced, due to his life with Kristina.

 

“It can be a good tool, if you know how to use it. Look, Van Helsing... One day, when all this is over, I'll tell you all about it, but I'm afraid right now isn't the best time. I'm in the backseat of a car with the dead love of my life in my lap, waiting for Padre to steal some blood bags...”

 

“You're right, I'm sorry. It's wrong to talk about those things right now... I don't know what I was thinking... The whole thing is just so absurd... “

 

“It's alright. I gotta go now, mate. I'll get in touch when something changes.”

 

“You do that. Thanks, Cassidy. Keep your head up. I'm sure everything will be fine in a couple of days.”

 

“Let's hope so.”

 

Cassidy hung up and turned his phone off. He wasn't in the mood to talk after all, he'd realized.

 

Not long after, he spotted Jesse making his way out of the hospital, carrying three cases. One in each hand and one tucked under his right arm.

 

“That should last you a while,” he told the vampire, as he got back into the car and handed Cass one of the blood bags.

 

“Mhm,” Cassidy mumbled with a nod. He fumbled with the blood bag for a moment, before he put the attached plastic tube between his lips and sucked the blood out of his special vampire juice box.

 

“Back to the motel?” Jesse asked as he started the engine.

 

“What do you think? That I want to take my girlfriend's corpse on a shopping trip?” Cassidy's voice was dripping with sarcasm before he added an “idiot” under his breath.

 

Jesse rolled his eyes and took a deep breath. He was ready to drag Cassidy out of the car and have it out with him the old fashioned way, but even he had enough sense left to know, that it wasn't the best time for a good fist fight right now. So, instead of giving Cassidy a piece of his mind, Jesse pulled the car into traffic and took them back to their motel.

 

* * *

_'Dobriy vecher lyubimaya doch'.'_

 

Cassidy jumped. He was sitting on the edge of the motel bed on which Kristina was laying. He'd been on the verge of dozing off, his head slowly, but repeatedly, moving down towards his chest, before the male voice had startled him awake.

 

He blinked sleepily and looked around, but no one was there. He figured he must have been dreaming for a second, but then he felt it. A sensation that felt like something was tickling him inside his head. Or more like some **one** was tickling him inside his head.

 

His head whipped around to look at Kristina, but ended up being disappointed when her eyes were still closed and she hadn't moved.

 

“Luv?” he called out anyway and gently stroked his hand over her hair.

 

Nothing.

 

He put his hand on her chest, then after a moment, his ear, but there was no heartbeat.

 

Also, the sensation in his head was already gone as well, making him wonder if he had imagined it.

 

He must have. It hadn't even been her voice, he'd heard. It had been a dude with a rather deep voice.

 

Was the TV on? Maybe he'd heard it on there. He looked at the television, but the screen was dark.

 

“I'm going mental, luv,” he sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose hard.

 

He was so tired. He'd been up for three days, but it felt like it had been three freaking weeks. He wouldn't be surprised if he'd be exhausted enough to start hallucinating. All this crap was taking a gigantic toll on him and not even a steady supply of blood was able to heal everything. It wasn't able to heal his battered heart and soul.

 

He sighed deeply as he took in his love's pale face, then he pulled her hand up to his mouth and placed a kiss on the back of it, before he went to the bathroom.

 

After he'd relieved himself, he stepped up to the sink and splashed some cold water in his face, trying to wake himself up a little more. He was running low on drugs and he'd have to find another way to get him through the night.

 

_'Dobriy vecher lyubimaya doch'. .. Ya iskala tebya...'_

 

“What the bloody hell...” Cassidy looked into the mirror with wide eyes, when he heard that voice again. There was no one in that bathroom with him and he realized, that he heard the voice inside his head.

 

_'Ya iskala tebya v techenii ochen' dolgogo vremeni.'_

 

“Yeah,... I didn't get any of that dude... I don't speak Klingon... Who are you? How'd you get inside my head?”

 

Cassidy didn't get an answer, but once again, he'd felt that sensation, like the beginning of a connection.

 

He quickly made his way back into their room, but Kristina's condition still hadn't changed.

 

“Shite,...” he mumbled and shivered slightly. Who the hell was in his head? And what language had that been? His best guess was Russian, but he wasn't sure. Maybe he was imagining things after all, but then why was he still able to hear those foreign words inside his head so bloody clearly?

 

After 15 minutes of brooding and wondering, he grabbed his phone and looked for an app that was able to translate spoken words. He tapped his foot impatiently as he waited for it to download and install, then he quickly opened it and tried to figure out the right settings. He set it up to translate from Russian into English and closed his eyes as he focused on the words in his head.

 

He tapped on the record button and tried to speak as slowly and clearly as possible, then he waited with baited breath, expecting to get a real mess of a translation.

 

He was pleasantly surprised, when the translation for the first sentence popped up.

 

“Good evening, my beloved daughter,” Cass read, then arched an eyebrow. “Daughter? Weren't talking to me, then? Or did I say it wrong?”

 

He decided to give the other two sentences a go as well.

 

“I've been looking for you. I've been looking for you for a very long time.”

 

Cassidy frowned. “Looking for who? For me? Or for your daughter?” Suddenly he perked up and his eyes widened. “Jesus... are you that Earl guy? Where the hell are you? How are you in my bloody head?”

 

Cassidy got up from the bed and looked around wildly for a moment, but there was, once again, nothing. He was utterly confused, which in turn, made anger bubble up inside of him. He had no idea what was happening and he had just about enough.

 

With a determined expression on his face, he grabbed himself a fresh blood bag from the mini-fridge, then the knife off the bedside table and slashed his left wrist. “Come on, luv, it's time to wake up. Enough beauty sleep for now.” He let his blood drip into her mouth until the wound closed up enough to stop bleeding. Then he fed on the blood bag until it was empty.

 

He got up from the bed and tossed the bag into the trash. He was just about to sit back down, when he suddenly felt so much fear, that it made him gasp out loud. This time, though, he still had enough wits about him, to focus on what was going on inside his head.

 

_'Who the bloody hell is there?'_ he sent the question out into the weak connection.

 

_'Cassidy?'_

 

Cass froze, his mouth fell open and he was on top of Kristina in a heartbeat, on all fours, frantically searching her face for any signs of life. It was her voice this time. No doubt about it.

 

_'Panda? Is that really you, luv?'_

 

_'It's me... Where are you? I can't see you. I can't see anything.'_

 

_'You're not awake, luv... Try to open your eyes.'_

 

_'I'm trying. It's not working. It's so dark here, Cass. I don't like it. I can't find the way.'_

 

_'Maybe you need more blood. Hold on, luv,... it's coming.'_ Cassidy quickly went for the knife and cut open his newly healed wrist. “There you go, panda. Now come on... just... I don't know, follow my voice or something. You're so close, sweetheart... All you need to do is open your eyes. Come on, luv... almost there.”

 

When the blood entered her mouth, Cassidy was able to feel the satisfaction and the burst of energy it gave her. Suddenly, he felt her lips move, making his heart beat against his ribcage so hard, that it hurt. “Please tell me, I'm not dreaming,” he giggled, before a sharp pain in his wrist caused him to cry out, albeit laughing. “Easy, kitten... Good God...”

 

Kristina removed her fangs from his flesh and slowly opened her eyes. She blinked until she was able to focus and see clearly. Her heart skipped a beat, when she was greeted by the sight of Cassidy smiling so broadly, that it looked like it might hurt his cheeks. “Sorry,” she grinned at him, her voice sounding a little more hoarse than usual.

 

Cassidy wasn't sure if the huge wave of relief he felt was hers or his own. In the end it didn't matter. She was alive, that was all that mattered. “Jesus,...” he whispered reverently, as he stared at her. He had waited three incredibly long days for her to wake up, and now that she had, he couldn't believe it.

 

He gently cradled her face in his hands, his right thumb briefly brushing against one of her fangs. He let his gaze travel up to meet hers, tears filling his eyes when he admired hers. He'd been so incredibly scared that he'd never get to see them again. “Jesus,...” he sniffed. “Thank God,” he added before he dove down and crushed his lips to hers.

 

Kristina quickly wrapped her arms around him, holding him tight as her own tears started to gather behind her closed eyelids. Cassidy kissed her hard and desperately, and Kristina felt how much he'd suffered, while he had waited for her to reanimate.

 

“How long?” she pressed out with difficulty between kisses. Cassidy was not letting up. _'How long did it take for me to come back?'_

 

_'Little more than three days.'_

 

_'Oh... that's not too bad.'_

 

_'Not too bad? You kidding me, luv? It was three days of bloody hell.'_

 

Cassidy broke the kiss and looked down at her with a sad expression. “I know why I wasn't allowed to give you blood right away, I get it, but I hate your decision. I swear to God, I'm not letting you die again.”

 

“Let's hope it won't ever come to that again.”

 

Cassidy nodded and kissed her again, then he slowly laid down next to her, still amazed that she was awake, alert and talking to him, not to mention kissing him. “How do you feel? Do you need anything?”

 

“I feel...” she frowned and thought about it for a moment, “... fairly alright, I think... but I'm starving.”

 

“Blood?”

 

“No... food.” She looked around and sighed. “We're not in Portland, are we?”

 

“No. New Mexico.”

 

“Damn... not even close, then. I would have loved some Voodoo Doughnuts.”

 

Cassidy laughed a little at that. “Soon. For now some regular ones will have to do.”

 

“And burgers. And soggy fries. And a chocolate milkshake. And a hot dog. Oh God, pizza!”

 

“The Cardiac Arrest Special, huh? Guess it won't kill you,” Cassidy joked.

 

“Isn't that amazing? I won't ever have to worry about that stuff anymore.”

 

“Right,” Cassidy nodded and leaned in to kiss her, again and again. “I don't want to leave you for even a minute, luv... but if you want food, I'm going to have to send Padre out to get it.”

 

“Jesse?” Kristina sat up and frowned at Cass. “He's here?”

 

“Aye,... I don't want him around, but his stupid power is actually helping right now. Keeps us in this motel for free, nobody knows we're here, we got blood, he gets food...”

 

“Oh...”

 

“I'm not going to tell him yet,... that you're back. Unless you want me to.”

 

“No. I don't want you to. Actually... Hold on... There is something I need that's not food, baby.”

 

“What?”

 

“Do you have our things? My envelope?”

 

“I do. It's all over there.”

 

“Do we have a car?”

 

“Padre's got the keys.”

 

Kristina smiled. “Okay, then we'll get our own. We have money. Let's get out of here, get a car and drive to Portland. We can stop and get food on the way.”

 

“Without telling Jess?”

 

“Without telling Jess,” Kristina nodded decisively. “That's what I need.”

 

“Are you sure you're up to it? You were dead five minutes ago.”

 

“I feel fine. I just want to get out of here and away from him.”

 

Cassidy was overjoyed at the prospect of leaving with her. With a big grin on his face, he nodded. “Sounds great. What the lady wants, the lady shall get.”

 

* * *

“Good morning, sleepy head,” Kristina smirked as she looked over at Cassidy, who was slumped back against the passenger seat, watching her with a tired, but happy, smile on his face.

 

“You made me fall asleep, didn't you?”

 

“Yep. Not sorry, hon. You were beyond exhausted and needed to rest. You were unable to fall asleep by yourself, so some fatigue, paired with some relaxation and boom... off to Dreamland you were...”

 

“What time is it?” he asked as he yawned and tried to stretch out his tired limbs as best as he could in the confines of the car.

 

“11.33 am,... you were asleep for about 18 hours,” Kristina replied with a quick look at the time.

 

“Crap,” Cassidy grumbled as he peeked out the window.

 

“No, not crap. You needed it. We have all the time in the world now, my love. What's a measly 18 hours compared to that, hm?”

 

“That's true, I suppose... still don't like it.”

 

“Okay. How about coffee? You like coffee? I stopped like 15 minutes ago... should still be pretty warm,” she said and motioned to the cardboard tray that held their paper cups filled with the hot brew.

 

“Thanks,” Cassidy immediately grabbed himself one of the cups and took a big gulp. He took a couple of minutes to drink and wake up properly.

 

“How are you feeling?” Kristina asked him, when his cup was half-empty.

 

“How do **I** feel? Christ... how do you feel, luv? You're the one who came back from the dead.”

 

“I'm still fine, thanks to you.”

 

“It was nothing. You'd do the same for me.”

 

“That's true. I would. But yeah... I'm good. My head is working some overtime, but apart from that, it's like nothing even happened,” she reported.

 

“That's good to hear.” Cassidy took another slow sip, before he sent her a careful look. “What was it like? Was there... anything?”

 

Kristina nodded with a grim expression on her face. “There was. You know... Dying wasn't fun... Dear God, the not being able to breathe part, that was bad...” Cassidy winced when he remembered her dying in his arms, how she had struggled for air,... he could only imagine how horrible that must have felt like. “However... the worst part wasn't dying... it was waking up. That being trapped in the balance between being dead and alive... It was like I was being pulled into two different directions by... well, by my memories, I suppose.”

 

“How do you mean?”

 

“It was like one part tried to push me back towards death and one part tried to push me back to life. It was dark, I couldn't see... only glimpses of my memories. Mostly I heard voices. It's... I don't know how to explain it. I didn't see my grandmother, but I heard her voice... and by hearing her voice... it kind of... made me see her. The weirdest part, though, was that I think I heard my father's voice. My real father, I mean. The Earl.” Kristina said and startled a second later, when Cassidy suddenly shot up straight in his seat and looked at her with wide eyes. “What?” she asked, not knowing why he reacted that strongly.

 

“I heard him, too!”

 

“What???” Kristina's mouth fell open in shock.

 

“He was in me head, I swear to God. He said something in Russian.”

 

“Good evening, my beloved daughter,” Kristina mumbled, making Cassidy nod frantically.

 

“Yes, that's it. I used me phone to translate it.”

 

Kristina frowned. “But he wasn't present. It didn't feel like that. I think it was definitely a memory.”

 

“How can it have been a memory, luv? You never met him.”

 

“I met him the night I was born. Maybe he said it to me then. I think by now we can safely assume, that it's not impossible. My special half-breed brain might have registered it and I just never remembered until now.”

 

“Alright... okay, yeah. That's possible, I guess,” Cassidy acquiesced at first, before he shook his head. “But in Russian? No... no, it can't be luv. No... he also said that he'd been trying to find you for a long time. Why would he say that the night you were born? In Russian?”

 

“Right,” Kristina sighed, deflating visibly.

 

“But it was a memory, I'm sure. It didn't feel like he was there. Like he was in my mind. I felt you... I was trying to find you. The connection was weak, but you were close, I knew that. You and his voice, you both pulled me back to life, and then that weird thing with my grandmother happened. I heard her and it was like I saw her rushing at me with a knife, trying to push me back to death. I was super scared.”

 

“I felt that... that was just before you responded to me and started to come to.”

 

“Yeah,” Kristina smiled and reached over to intertwine her fingers with his. “If it wouldn't have been for you, who knows what would have gone down... Thank you, baby.”

 

“Anytime,” he smiled and kissed the back of her hand.

 

“Hey... you hearing my memory... if that's what it was... that might mean that I can send you memories now...”

 

Cassidy grinned. “Ooohhh, can I choose one, luv? How about the first time you touched yourself?”

 

“Proinsias Cassidy, I was a teenager, that's disgusting,” she laughed with her face scrunched up in disgust. “Oh, but you know what? If I can send you my memories, maybe I'll be able to see yours.”

 

“Bollocks!”

 

“That's what I thought,” she laughed.

 

They fell silent for a while, each lost in their own thoughts, until Kristina's voice pulled Cassidy back to reality, when they stopped at a red light.

 

“Cass?”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“I think I want to try to find my father,” she told him with an expression on her face, that told him, that she was unsure of how he would react to her idea.

 

Cassidy reached over and squeezed her hand. “Are you sure, luv?”

 

“I'm not. It might be the worst idea I've ever had, but maybe... maybe it's not. He's the only real parent I have, if he's still walking the face of the earth. The V.E.M always lied about him wanting to kill me or take my powers or whatever... I mean, I think and hope they lied about that. If not, we'll deal with it, but in the end... all these questions I have, all those things I don't know, they're going to drive me insane eventually. He's the only one who might have some answers.” Kristina sighed and sent Cass a quick look full of insecurity. “Or do you think the little girl inside of me is kind of romanticizing the whole thing? Because I want a real daddy so badly or something like that?”

 

“No, I don't think you're romanticizing it, angel... It's only natural that you want to meet your only living relative, especially after all the lies and everything that's happened. I don't want you to torture yourself over those questions you have. I know you will, so I'm with you, luv. Whatever you want, I'm behind you 100%. In fact, if you do want to find him... I think I know someone I can call.”

 

“Not Henry... right?”

 

“No, not him. Someone who always keeps an ear to the ground... who knows things. Just give me the word, luv, and I'll ring him up.”

 

“I'll think about it.”

 

* * *

 


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I typed like crazy to get this finished for you guys today.
> 
> Hope you like it!!!
> 
> Merry X-Mas!!!

* * *

“Seamus... it's Proinsias,” Cassidy smiled as his old friend picked up the phone.

 

“Good God, how much do you want now? I'm not your personal piggy bank, you know?” the Scot started grumbling, instead of offering a greeting.

 

“Relax, I'm not looking for your handouts,” Cass chuckled. “But I do have a favor to ask.”

 

“I knew it. It's always something with you. What is it?”

 

“I need you to look into something for me. I'm looking for someone.”

 

“I'm not your personal dating agency, either, Proinsias.”

 

“It's nothing like that, Seamus. I'm looking for a vampire. Calls himself the Earl. He's supposedly quite old,... and English... but that's about all I know. Have you heard of him? The name ring any bells?”

 

The hesitation on the other end of the line had Cassidy tensing up reflexively in anticipation. Did Seamus actually know something about the guy?

 

“Well,... there've been rumblings for a couple of years now... I don't know if it's the vampire you're looking for, but I'll look into it for you.”

 

“Thanks, Seamus. That's great,” Cassidy smiled happily.

 

“Yeah, yeah,... check your post for my bill. I don't work for free.”

 

Cassidy heard the line click, indicating that Seamus had hung up.

 

“Grumpy old bastard... I miss you,” Cassidy grinned as he tossed his phone on the kitchen counter in passing.

 

He went downstairs to join Kristina in the basement. The house they were renting in Portland had a nice cozy (and windowless) TV room, with big, comfortable couches and a ton of pillows and blankets.

 

Kristina was lounging on one of the sofas in just a pair of panties and an old Fred Flintstone-shirt.

 

_'Yabba-dabba-doo indeed...'_ Cassidy thought, as he took in her bare, long legs. He let out a giggle, when he saw Kristina raise a bemused eyebrow at him.

 

_'Seriously?'_

 

_'Seriously. Have I mentioned that I bloody love living with only you?'_

 

_'Only every day ever since we got here.'_ She winked at him and tossed a piece of popcorn at his chest. “Anyway, your friend Seamus sounds really nice.”

 

“Oh, yeah... he's the best,” Cassidy laughed after her words had given him pause for a second.

 

She had had a bit of his blood every day for about 10 days now, and she grew a bit stronger every day. For about three days now, she had been able to, kind of, be an all-seeing eye... and an all-hearing ear, so to speak. She was able to not only connect with him, but also to go with him in his mind, see what he was seeing, listen to what he and his conversation partners were saying. He didn't mind, he'd given her full permission to stay with him at all times, but it was still new enough to take some getting used to.

 

“Sounds like he knows something.”

 

“I thought that, too. I think he might be able to dig something up, but until then...” he looked at the clock on the wall to his right, before he turned his attention back to Kristina with a smile, “... time for your medicine, angel.”

 

“Uuhhh, great... come here, my love,” she smiled with an expression of excitement on her face, as she made a come hither motion with her index finger.

 

At first, she had been very reluctant to keep drinking his blood, now that she was conscious during the feedings. However that bit of hesitance had quickly vanished, when she had started to feel better and stronger than she'd ever had before. Managing her abilities had become so much easier, she wasn't feeling tired constantly, she wasn't experiencing headaches and at night, she slept like a baby.

 

The best thing, however, was that she was starting to be able to blend out auras completely. It had started the day after she had come back, when they had still been on the road. Cassidy's aura, his colors, had dulled considerably. At first she had assumed that maybe her eyes or her powers were still a bit on the fritz, but later that day, when they had stopped at a motel, she had played around a bit and had realized, that she was able to control how much of his aura she wanted to see. The colors had grown brighter again, when she had focused on it and then she'd had a bit of a hard time to get them to grow duller once more, but in the end, she had figured it out. She just needed to relax and not pay attention to the aura and it started to go into “invisible mode”.

 

She had wept like a baby in Cassidy's arms, when she had been able to look at him without the distracting colors around his head, she had felt so relieved and happy. From then on out, she had gladly started to “take her medicine”.

 

Cassidy pushed his boxer-briefs down his legs with a shit-eating grin on his face, before he strolled over to the couch.

 

“You love this more than I do, don't you?” Kristina couldn't help but giggle at his happy expression.

 

“Who wouldn't?” he smiled and quickly reached for her shoulders, when she started to sit up. “No, no, no... you stay put, luv,” he told her as she gently pushed her back down.

 

“Oh, you've got plans,” she smirked at his actions.

 

“I do,” he told her as he positioned himself on top of her, kneeling right above her face. “You're gonna bite me right here,” he said as he lowered himself, lightly resting his butt on her chest, as he pointed to a spot very high up on his inner thigh.

 

“Trusting me with my fangs that close to your package? You really do love me.”

 

“More than you'll ever know,... and don't tell me again that you know exactly how much I love you,” he quickly added before she was able to argue with him, “It's even more than that,... than what you feel when we're connected.”

 

“And how did you come to that conclusion?”

 

“I just know,” he stated with a confident smile.

 

“Alright, Mr. Smarty Fangs,... ready?”

 

“Always.”

 

“Any particular wishes?”

 

Cassidy shook his head with a grin. “I'll have the usual, thanks.”

 

“Okay,” she chuckled, before she gently pressed her lips to the sensitive skin on his inner thigh. As she placed little licks and kisses along the area, she gave him “the usual”. She didn't want him to feel any discomfort when she fed from him, so she always sent him an extra portion of love, paired with lust, pleasure and a dash of euphoria.

 

Cassidy reached down and touched himself, pumping his hand up and down his hardening shaft at a slow but steady pace. He moaned, as goosebumps formed on his skin and made him shiver, because Kristina had lightly dragged her nails along the outside of his thighs, down to his knees and back up.

 

His hand immediately picked up some speed, when she teased his balls with the tip of her tongue, his breath getting hitched in his throat for a second at the sensation. Kristina soon stopped her ministrations and just watched him for a moment. Watching his tattooed hand moving along the silky skin of his beautiful cock, she would never ever get tired of that, not even in a hundred years.

 

_'Good Lord, you're gorgeous, baby,'_ she told him in their thoughts, loving that cute grin her thoughts brought to his lips. Then, without further ado, she let her fangs slide out and sunk them into his flesh.

 

Cassidy cried out loudly as his orgasm hit him fast and hard. Pleasure and pain often went hand in hand, and the little bit of pain of the bite always managed to quickly push him over the edge, when Kristina was already making him feel close through her mind manipulations alone.

 

She swallowed three mouthfuls of blood, while Cass rode out his high, then she kissed the wounds and giggled quietly. “It's all over my hair, isn't it?”

 

Cassidy frowned, at first not getting what she meant, until he focused on her long locks. Yep, he had cum all over her hair, which she had washed a mere hour ago. “Oh... sorry, lassie. Didn't really think that through, I suppose.”

 

“It's alright,” she laughed and gently pushed at him, so he would get off of her. “I'll just wash it again.” She kissed his lips lovingly, before she got up and cracked her neck. “Wanna go out after, for a bit?”

 

“Sounds good,” he told her with a serene smile on his face.

 

“Dinner and then the woods?” she suggested with an excited gleam in her eyes.

 

“Yeah, let's pick up some steaks, too. Maybe the little rascals will come closer if we bribe them with meat.”

 

“There's supposed to be a bear in those woods. Maybe we can lure him. That would be awesome. Those foxes weren't shy, though. I'm sure they will come back.”

 

“And those bloody bats... those fucking love you.”

 

“Well, I am half-vampire after all... What's a vampire without some bats? Maybe we should have some as pets. You read Mikhail's letter,... animals were drawn to me. We have trees outside, maybe some of those bats will take up living in our backyard. Two vampires and their little house bats... would be kind of cute.”

 

“Nah... not sure I like it, but I do have to admit it was pretty cool to see them flutter all around you,” Cassidy said as he got up and retrieved his underwear from the floor.

 

“It was fun. I can't wait to get back there again... but first things first. Get dressed, honey, I'll be ready to go in half an hour.”

 

She kissed him one last time, then she bounced up the stairs to get cleaned up again.

 

* * *

“What?” Cassidy asked later that night after they'd had dinner at a Mexican place. They were walking down a busy street, arm in arm and every time Cassidy looked down at his girl, she had a beaming smile on her face... a far cry from what it had been like back in Annville.

 

Kristina stopped and stepped in front of him, wrapping her arms around him as she looked up into his eyes. “I love you, Proinsias. The words don't even do it justice, but I'm sure you know that, but I just want to tell you, that I love you with an unprecedented, unbridled passion, that sometimes scares the shit out of me,... but in a good way. I admit, that I used to be fairly annoyed at you, for being so pushy about me trying to develop my abilities more and more, but now I wish I would have just listened to you from the start... You're a smart man. You're amazing... absolutely amazing... you've been honest with me and you've finally let me know, who I really am,... you're letting me be, who I really am and by doing that, you've given me such a better quality of life. I can't believe that I can actually enjoy taking a walk outside now... that I can enjoy having dinner with you at a crowded restaurant... I mean, it is still a work in progress, but that I can blend out auras to a bearable degree, even with large groups... that's because of you. That I don't have to live off of painkillers anymore, it's all because of you... you've made me so happy, baby. Before, in Annville, and even more so now. So, and again, I know that the words don't do it justice, but... thank you, Proinsias. Thank you. From the bottom of my heart, as cliché as it sounds, and with every fiber of my being, I will forever be incredibly grateful to you. Thank you, baby, for everything you've done and for everything you're doing and are going to do from here on out.”

 

Cassidy eyes glistened suspiciously. Before he would start bawling out on the street, he quickly leaned down and kissed her passionately.

 

_'I love you more than horse tranquilizers,_ ' he thought and giggled against her lips.

 

_'I love you more than doughnuts,'_ she thought, making him giggle again.

 

Oh yeah, another thing they both loved? She had actually started to be able to stay connected to him and only him, even in public. Not all the time, yet, but for the odd, short period here and there, before other people's emotions try to force their way into the connection, it worked. They were both optimistic, that it soon wouldn't be a problem anymore, if she kept feeding and practicing.

 

“Come on, let's go make some furry friends,” he grinned after one last kiss, before he pulled her to their car.

 

* * *

“This is so bloody cool,” Cassidy murmured with a big smile on his face, as he laid next to Kristina on the grassy ground. Bats were flying around above them, while other animals formed a wide circle around them.

 

“They're not even attacking one another,” Kristina said, amazement evident in her voice as she watched foxes, two wolves and a handful of deer, among others, just stand there and stare at her and Cass.

 

“It's insane. I thought I've seen everything about a hundred times by now, but this is definitely new.”

 

“Do you notice something?” Kristina asked, as she looked around with a slight frown.

 

“What? Someone coming?”

 

“No... nothing like that. I mean the animals that have come out to see us... It's only mammals. No birds... no insects, thank Goodness... no reptiles, again, thank Goodness... Only mammals.”

 

“Ooohh... yeah. You're right, luv... but are bats mammals, though?”

 

“Yeah, they are. I mean... I think so... Biology wasn't my forte, to be honest, but I think they're the only mammals capable of flying, if I'm not mistaken... Anyway... I wanna pet the wolves!” she stated with a grin and started to get up.

 

Cassidy gaped at her, before he quickly grabbed her wrist and kept her from moving away from him.

 

“Are you crazy, woman? You can't just walk up to them and treat them like they're the neighbors' dogs. They're wild animals.”

 

“Yes, they are, but they're not attacking us, are they?”

 

“Not yet.”

 

“Even if they do... not like we can't fight back,” Kristina shrugged lightheartedly. “You stay here, be my backup.”

 

“Right,” Cassidy sighed and let go of her hand. Her new fearlessness still took some getting used to.

 

Kristina slowly took a couple of steps towards the animals, before she stopped again. She closed her eyes and opened her mind, trying to send out a signal to the assembled animals, that she was not trying to harm them. She wasn't sure if she was connected to the beasts, but she thought she felt some curiosity coming from them. In any case, she thought it didn't hurt to send out some peaceful waves.

 

She opened her eyes back up and kept up sending peace out to her environment as she slowly started moving towards the wolves again. They both watched her closely out of bright eyes, one pair amber, the other pair yellow. The one with the amber eyes had light gray fur. Except for its eye color, it reminded Kristina of a Husky. The other wolf was a dark gray, almost black, with patches of lighter gray, with a broad snout and dark, soft looking ears. They were both huge, the darker and bigger one reaching up to Kristina's waist. A fact, that didn't sit well with Cassidy, who was watching anxiously from a couple of feet away.

 

He already saw the big wolf take a chunk out of her side, in front of his inner eye. He really hoped she knew what she was doing. He was not looking forward to her dying on him again.

 

“Hello,” Kristina smiled in a warm tone of voice as she stopped again, about three feet away from the wolves. “You guys are gorgeous,... how's your night going? We had a great one,... but you probably don't care about that...” she felt silly for talking nonsense, but hey, the excitement from being this close to a pair of wolves can do that to a girl.

 

She carefully extended her arm, like she tended to do with dogs, so that they could sniff her hand. Her smile grew, just like Cassidy's anxiety grew, as the dark wolf took a couple of steps on big paws and closed the gap between him and Kristina. Cass feared that the whole thing would turn very ugly in just a split-second, but at the same time he knew, that he should stay as calm and relaxed as possible, so that he wouldn't give off a negative vibe to their new furry friends. That certainly wouldn't help things. He took a deep breath and held it, when the wolf started sniffing her hand.

 

“Hey there,” Kristina smiled quietly and held still, as the wolf's nose touched her hand and wrist. He kept smelling her for a moment, then he sat down in front of her, looking up at her, in what seemed like an expectant manner.

 

“What are you doing, luv? Good God, Kristina... I thought your death wish would have been fulfilled by now. You're gonna be the death of me, you know that?” Cassidy ranted in his usual manner, because Kristina was sitting down on the ground in front of the wild animal, which was now a good head taller than her.

 

“Don't listen to him,” Kristina laughed, “he always worries about me. For good reason, I suppose. I did die recently,... but here I am,... all well again.”

 

The wolf looked like it was intently listening to her. When she went silent, it got back up and closed the distance between them once again. This time, it sniffed Kristina's face, right cheek first, then the left, then it sniffed her hair, before it buried its nose in it and started rubbing its head against Kristina's. The other, smaller, wolf, who had stood to the side and had watched the other one, now joined in and started sniffing and rubbing up against her as well, making her giggle happily.

 

“Holy shite...,” Cassidy watched with wide eyes. “What the bloody hell is happening?”

 

“I think they like me,” Kristina laughed, as the wolves seemed to rub their whole bodies against her tiny frame, almost making her fall to the side every other moment. “Come here, babe. They're sweet.”

 

“I don't know,...”

 

“Come on,” she smiled, before she talked to the wolves. “You're not gonna hurt him, right? Are you two mates or something? That's what we are. He's my partner. We love and protect each other, you guys know what that means, right? Come on, Cass. Please.”

 

“Alright,” Cassidy nodded and got up from the ground, slowly approaching the threesome.

 

“He's okay,” she told the wolves and made sure to keep up sending out good vibes.

 

The wolves watched Cassidy curiously, as he came closer. Just like Kristina, he held out his hand and let them sniff him. His apprehension evaporated, and he couldn't help but grin, when he felt their wet noses touching his skin.

 

“Okay, this is bloody aweseome,” he finally relaxed and went down on his knees, next to his love, as the wolves now proceeded to play with them both. “Shite, you guys are strong... Wow... lovely... thanks... yeah, thank you... Christ, luv, I don't think even you kiss me this passionately,” Cassidy laughed as the smaller wolf enthusiastically licked his face and hair.

 

“Looks like someone's got a big crush on you... Well, I don't blame her... or him... I fell in love with you preeeetty quickly, too. You're just too adorable... even to wolves.”

 

Cassidy grinned happily, all his earlier anxiety forgotten, as they got acquainted with their new best friends.

 

* * *

“Today was awesome,” Kristina sighed contentedly as she snuggled up against her lover in bed.

 

“It was. I can't wait to go back tomorrow.”

 

“Neither can I,... but we should experiment with some other things tomorrow, too.”

 

“Like what?” Cassidy looked down at her, while his fingers gently played with some strands of her hair.

 

“My range. I can find your mind and stay connected with you when we're both inside the house, even when you're upstairs and I'm downstairs, but I think we should test out how far you can go, before I lose you.”

 

“Leave the house, you mean?”

 

“Yeah. We should start splitting up and test out how much distance we can put between us and if that range gets bigger, the stronger I get.”

 

“Okay. We can do that. Although I hate the idea of not spending every minute with you, luv.”

 

“I know. I would love to be able to find you when you're out and about. If something were to happen, while we're apart, it would be neat to be able to find your mind, connect and let you know that something is wrong. And you know what? You should practice, too.”

 

“Practice what?”

 

“Practice sending me signals. What if you're out and something happens to you? I wanna be able to pick up on that. We gotta find a way to strengthen our connection. I don't know how yet, but there's gotta be a way.”

 

“There probably is, we just have to figure it out somehow. I'm sure it will come to us in time, sweetheart.”

 

“Yeah... probably.”

 

“There's something I've been wanting to ask you.”

 

“What is it, Cass?”

 

“You miss Padre at all? You regret leaving him behind in New Mexico?”

 

Kristina didn't really need to think about it, but she did take a moment to reflect on her decision, before she shook her head no. “No. No regrets. I don't miss him, either. Not yet, anyway. I haven't quite forgiven him yet. I think that might take some more time.”

 

“I'm not sure I'll ever forgive him,” Cassidy stated darkly. “Genesis has gotten to his head.”

 

“It has... It most certainly has.”

 

“But you think we'll see him again, luv?”

 

“Yeah, I'm sure we will. I don't know when or how or where... but I'm sure, we'll see him and Tulip again.”

 

* * *

**Five weeks later**

 

Cassidy and Kristina both loved their new life and they both loved her new and improved abilities. Mikhail had been right about what he had written in his letter. Knowing the truth had changed her. She was happier and healthier than she had ever been. 

 

She wished she could have lived her life like this from the start, but unfortunately, the people closest to her, had always kept the truth from her. She understood why, and she had forgiven Mikhail, John and Henry for their deception, but sometimes, she did get a bit sad about the difficult life she'd lead due to their lies and secret-keeping.

 

That's why she loved Cassidy even harder with every day that passed. He was the sole reason for things having turned around now. They were so happy, it didn't even seem real half the time... but it was. 

 

They spent a lot of time in the woods with the animals, especially with the wolves, who didn't leave their sides, once they arrived. They had named them Alpha and Amber. Whenever they went up there and split up, in order for Kristina to hone her abilities, the female wolf, Amber, always went with Cassidy, and Alpha, the male, always stayed at Kristina's side. 

 

This way, of course, Cassidy's plan to build a new circle of friends for them in Portland hadn't really panned out. They still kept to themselves, because they were still experimenting with her powers a lot and if they didn't,... well... they hadn't reached the stage yet, where their desire for one another had ebbed off. On the contrary. They couldn't keep their hands off each other and their desire for one another seemed to get stronger every day right now.

 

They lived in their own little bubble, but neither one of them would have it any other way. Cassidy couldn't remember ever having been this happy and fulfilled before. He was perfectly content with the way things were and he didn't feel like changing anything. 

 

Kristina was still sleeping while Cassidy was making coffee on a rainy Sunday morning. They both enjoyed spending lazy mornings in bed, cuddling, drinking coffee and watching the rain through the window, making slow love with the sound of the raindrops hitting the roof... Life with her was heaven... but when the phone started ringing, just before he was about to head back to the bedroom with their coffee mugs, Cassidy got the bad feeling, that things might be about to change.

 

“Yeah?” he grumbled into the phone, already wondering why he had picked up in the first place.

 

“Proinsias? It's Seamus.”

 

“Seamus... it's been a while. I was starting to think you had forgotten about me.”

 

“I don't seem to be able to... trust me, I've tried.”

 

“Yeah... I get that a lot.”

 

“Listen, Proinsias... it took a while... obviously... but I think I found the vampire you were looking for.”

 

_ 'Crap' _ Cassidy thought and sighed deeply. “Alright, let's hear it.”

 

“He doesn't call himself 'The Earl' anymore. That's why he wasn't very easy to find.”

 

“But you did anyway?”

 

“I'm very sure, yes.”

 

“He's still around, then?”

 

“He is.”

 

“Where?” 

 

“New Orleans. Find 'Les Enfants Du Sang'. The Earl now goes by Eccarius.”

 

* * *

 

 


End file.
